China conveys condolences to bereaved families of Uttarakhand's flood victims

“We have noted that northern India had a massive flood. We want to express our condolences to the victims and sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing

China on Monday conveyed its condolences and sympathy to the families of the bereaved and the injured in the glacier burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

Rescue team members work near a tunnel after a part of a glacier broke away and caused flood in Tapovan, in Uttarakhand. (Reuters Photo)

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Sunday, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations, leaving at 11 people dead and over 200 missing who are feared dead.

“We have noted that northern India had a massive flood. We want to express our condolences to the victims and sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here.

“We hope the missing people will be rescued at an early date," he said in response to a question.

The sudden flood in the middle of the day in the Dhauli Ganga, Rishi Ganga and Alaknanda rivers -- all intricately linked tributaries of the Ganga -- triggered widespread panic and large-scale devastation in the high mountain areas.