At least 14 people are dead and 150 missing after a piece of a Himalayan glacier fell into a river and triggered a huge flood in northern India.
The floodwaters burst open a dam and a deluge of water poured through a valley in the state of Uttarakhand.
Most of the missing are believed to be workers from two hydro power plants in the area.
Hundreds of troops, paramilitaries and military helicopters have been sent to the region to help with rescue efforts.
Experts are investigating the incident though it is not yet clear what might have caused the glacial burst. Officials say 25 people have been rescued so far.
In a tweet on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was keeping a close watch on the situation in Uttarakhand.
"Have been continuously speaking to authorities and getting updates on... deployment, rescue work and relief operations," he said in a tweet.
"India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there."
Leaders from across the world have also sent their condolences to families of the victims.
"My thoughts are with the people of India and rescue workers in Uttarakhand as they respond to devastating flooding from the glacier collapse," said UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a tweet.
"The UK stands in solidarity with India and is ready to offer any support needed."
Destruction in its wake
Uttarakhand police said an avalanche struck at about 11:00 local time (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, destroying a dam known as the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project.
Police said the impact catapulted water along the Dhauli Ganga river, damaging another power project downstream in the Tapovan area. Senior police officials told media that a bridge in the Tapovan area that connected 13 villages was washed away in the avalanche.
One witness compared the flash flood to "a scene from a Bollywood film".
Video showed the floodwater barrelling through the area, leaving destruction in its wake.
Emergency workers had earlier evacuated dozens of villages, but authorities later said the main flood danger had passed.
Emergency crew have managed to rescue 16 workers who had been trapped inside a tunnel that had been filled with debris.
Officials told the BBC that around around 35 to 40 others are thought to be trapped in a second tunnel. Emergency crews have reached the mouth of the 2.5km (1.5 mile) tunnel and are in the process of clearing the area with heavy equipment.
The director general of the National Disaster Response Force told ANI news agency that rescue operations can take 24-48 hours.
Chamoli Police/ Twitter
Uttarakhand, in the western Himalayas, is prone to flash floods and landslides.
Some 6,000 people are believed to have been killed in floods in June 2013 which were triggered by the heaviest monsoon rains in decades.
What caused the glacial burst?
Navin Singh Khadka, BBC World Service environment correspondent
The remoteness of where this happened means no-one has a definitive answer, so far.
Experts say one possibility is that massive ice blocks broke off the glacier due to a temperature rise, releasing a huge amount of water.
That could have caused avalanches bringing down rocks and mud.
"This is a strong possibility because there was a huge amount of sediment flowing down," said DP Dobhal, a senior glaciologist formerly with the government's Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.
Experts say an avalanche could also have hit a glacial lake that then burst.
Another possibility is that an avalanche or landslide may have dammed the river for some time, causing it to burst out after the water level rose.
Sunday's disaster has prompted calls by environment groups for a review of power projects in the ecologically sensitive mountains.
"Avalanches are common phenomena in the catchment area," M.P.S. Bisht, director of the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, told news agency AFP.
"Huge landslides also frequently occur."
Uma Bharti, a former water resources minister, said that she had previously spoken out against having any power projects on the Ganges and its tributaries when in government.
Busting the coronavirus vaccine myths - from causing infertility to containing meat
Yet just months later, the Pfizer–BioNTech, Oxford–AstraZeneca and then the Moderna jabs got the green light for use in the UK.
And in a matter of weeks, the NHS — with the help of local government, Armed Forces and The Sun’s Jabs Army of volunteers — has vaccinated more than 10million of us.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock told The Sun: “This is a monumental milestone and means more than 10million people — almost one in five adults — are starting to receive protection from this awful disease.
“That’s millions of the most vulnerable people, including grandparents, elderly care-home residents and frontline health and care workers, whose lives may have been saved.
'INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT'
“It’s an incredible achievement. I hope it offers fresh hope to everybody that the future is bright and we have a way out of this pandemic.”
But while the hard work to create the jabs is done, the Government is now facing the challenge of tackling vaccine hesitancy fuelled by misinformation that is spreading on social media.
So as the world tries to find the quickest way out of the pandemic to ease lockdown measures, separating fact from fiction is more important than ever.
Today, leading scientists help Fab Daily bust some of the worrying myths to help reassure you that the jabs are safe.
Myth#1 CAUSES INFERTILITY
One common myth is that Covid jabs could hamper a woman’s chances of having a baby.
Incorrect posts online that blame ingredients in the vaccines have racked up millions of shares.
One common myth is that Covid jabs could cause infertilityCredit: Getty Images - Getty
But Dr Andrew Preston, from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Bath, tells Fab Daily there is “no possible way” a vaccine could interfere with the reproductive system.
He says: “It’s like saying, ‘I heard if you have the jab your head will explode’ – there is just no basis to it. We know about immune responses.
“We know there is just nothing in it that remotely links it to damage to the reproductive system.”
Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, agrees.
He says there is “no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would cause any impact on fertility”, adding that there is no data at all to support the claim.
Myth#2 NOT NEEDED IF YOU’VE HAD VIRUS
If you have recovered from Covid you will have some level of immunity, with one new study suggesting it could last up to six months.
However, the current recommendation is for everybody to have the vaccine, even if they have previously been infected with the virus.
The current recommendation is for everybody to have the vaccineCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Prof Young says: “It is possible that even if you’ve already had coronavirus, you could get it again.
“So the vaccine will reduce the risk of getting sick again.
“And it may even further boost your immunity, giving a more long-lived protective response.”
Myth#3 STOPS SPREAD OF VIRUS
The conclusive answer about whether Covid vaccines can stop transmission of the virus is still uncertain.
Clinical trials showed the vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness, the need to go into hospital – and death.
Covid vaccines may not stop transmission of the virusCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Until more people are vaccinated, it is unclear if they stop transmission, but the early signs are promising.
Scientists at Oxford University found there was a 67 per cent drop in positive swab tests in those who had their jab. It indicates the jab stops you testing positive, so suggests it can stop you passing it on.
But until there is more evidence, Dr Ferguson says it is important to assume you could still carry the virus.
He says: “After a vaccine, if you are infected you won’t get very sick but might still carry the virus.
“It is very likely that the risk of passing it to someone else will be reduced after vaccination, but this has not been proven yet.
“Hence it’s better to still be considerate to others until we know for sure.”
Myth#4 IT WAS RUSHED SO IS UNSAFE
It is true that while vaccines usually take ten years to develop, scientists have created Covid jabs in just ten months.
But the last year has been anything but normal. Never before has almost every scientist across the world been focused on the same issue.
Scientists have created Covid jabs in just ten monthsCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Add to that the fact that while Covid jabs are new, the vaccine technologies have been used for decades and only had to be tweaked to work against coronavirus.
And it is clear much of the groundwork had already been done.
That initial work, combined with global collaboration and upfront funding, helped speed up the process.
Dr Brian Ferguson, an expert in viruses and vaccine development at the University of Cambridge, tells Fab Daily: “These Covid vaccines were all developed quickly but safely.
“All the normal safety checks were done in the same way as for all other medicines.
“In fact, the vaccines have proven to be extremely safe as well as being very effective.”
All vaccines and drugs go through rigorous clinical trials involving thousands of people before the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) independently assesses the data.
The MHRA began that process months ago, performing a rolling review as trials progressed, allowing it to make decisions soon after the results were published.
Myth#5 WAIT TO CHOOSE JAB
There are currently three jabs approved for use in the UK – the Pfizer, Oxford/AZ and Moderna vaccines.
While the first two are already being rolled out, we will not have doses of the Moderna jab until the spring.
There are currently three jabs approved for use in the UKCredit: AFP or licensors
Meanwhile, two more – developed by Novavax and Johnson & Johnson Janssen – are likely to be approved next, but not until “midway through next year”, virologist Dr Chris Smith from Cambridge University predicts.
While the reality is that some people are unlikely to have a choice over which vaccine is given to them, experts say that you should not delay getting vaccinated because you would like to pick a specific make.
Prof Hunter says: “If you are vulnerable and decide to wait a few months then that is a few months longer during which you could catch the infection and need hospitalisation, ventilation and possibly die.
“All of the vaccines seem really good at stopping us getting very sick.”
Myth#6 USELESS FOR OVER-65s
The authorities in Germany, France, Sweden and Switzerland have not approved the Oxford vaccine for use in over-65s, raising fears that it is not effective in the elderly.
But scientists and the UK Government have reassured the public that trials have shown the vaccine provokes a strong immune response in this age group.
Trials have shown the vaccine provokes a strong immune response for over-65sCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor of cellular microbiology at Reading University, says the refusal of these countries to give the vaccine to the elderly “is not evidence it doesn’t work”. He adds: “We know that the Oxford/AZ jab provides protection.
“But because the trials only recruited a few hundred over-65s, the data is not clear enough to say for sure how effective it is.”
Prof Paul Hunter, from the Norwich School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, adds: “The balance of evidence does support the continued use of the Oxford/AZ vaccine and people in the older age groups should feel confident about having whatever jab they are offered.
“I will take any of them when it is my turn.”
Myth#7 JAB CHANGES DNA
The Pfizer and Moderna jabs are a new generation of vaccines known as mRNA vaccines.
RNA is closely related to DNA and is present in every living cell – telling them which proteins to produce.
RNA is closely related to DNA and is present in every living cellCredit: Getty Images - Getty
To produce an RNA vaccine, scientists insert a synthetic version of the virus’s RNA.
When injected, the body’s cells make the relevant protein – in this case the spike protein.
The body then mounts an immune response and produces antibodies to fight off the virus.
Dr Preston says the idea that these jabs can change a person’s DNA are untrue.
He says: “The vaccines simply introduce an extra protein that the body responds to.
“That’s very different from altering the instructions, or interfering with your blueprint or DNA.
“It’s not even a maybe [that vaccines alter DNA]. The vaccines are completely devoid of the function to integrate into our DNA and that is deliberate.”
Myth#8 LOTS OF BAD REACTIONS
Extreme reactions to the vaccines are extremely rare, Dr Ferguson says.
There were reports of two people suffering allergic reactions to the Pfizer jab, in the first few days of it being rolled out. They had underlying allergies, and carried EpiPens.
Extreme reactions to the vaccines are extremely rare, Dr Ferguson saysCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Last week, the first safety report into jabs carried out by regulators the MHRA found the vaccines are “extremely safe”.
It found 22,820 reports of side effects after seven million jabs had been given.
The MHRA said it had seen a rate of three suspected side-effects for every 1,000 doses – similar to those for the flu jab.
Dr Ferguson says: “Normal, mild effects of vaccination are common, including redness, swelling or pain around the injection site.
“Some people get a headache, but these mild side-effects are very similar to other vaccines.
“The risk of getting a more severe side-effect from a Covid-19 vaccine is less than one in 100,000 (so not zero, but very low). This compares to a one in 100 chance of death from catching Covid-19, depending how old you are.
“So, the benefits of vaccination massively outweigh the risks from the virus.”
Myth#9 GIVES YOU COVID-19
You cannot catch Covid from the vaccines, says Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist from Warwick Medical School.
That is because they do not contain any live virus, and so the coronavirus cannot replicate in the body.
You cannot catch Covid from the vaccines, says Professor Lawrence YoungCredit: Getty - Contributor
Experiencing mild side-effects after having a jab, such as headaches and feeling tired, is expected and that is a good sign the vaccine is working.
Rather than being a sign of infection, it is a signal the immune system is kicking in and primed to jump at the first sign of any future Covid infection.
Prof Young says: “The vaccines approved for use in the UK contain only a small part of the virus – the spike protein – which is what generates a strong protective immune response.”
Myth#10 MADE OF MEAT PRODUCTS
Worrying myths around Covid jabs have been circulating in black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, claiming they contain meat products.
Dr Habib Naqvi, director of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, says: “We need to be clear to our communities that there is no meat or meat products in the vaccine.
Worrying myths around Covid jabs have been circulating claiming they contain meat productsCredit: Getty Images - Getty
“There is no pork, there is no alcohol and it has been endorsed by religious leaders and religious councils.”
Nadhim Zahawi says AstraZeneca vaccine prevents serious illness caused by South African strain
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Cuba has announced a big expansion of the private sector as the communist government struggles to deal with the worst economic crisis since the fall of the Soviet Union.
Only weeks after devaluing the peso and scrapping a dual currency system, President Miguel DÃaz-Canel’s government said over the weekend it would open up most of the economy to private businesses.
Labour Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera said that instead of allowing private participation in 127 professions, the government would permit it in more than 2,000, reserving only 124 areas partly or wholly for the state. She did not specify which.
The decision was taken as the Caribbean island confronts rising inflation after the currency devaluation, the first since the 1959 revolution. The government also plans to end subsidies to some state companies, even if that leads to bankruptcies.
Both the monetary reform and the decision to free up the private sector are considered politically risky by analysts. The devaluation has led to increases in the price of most goods, services and utilities, triggering vocal popular complaints despite big rises in state wages and pensions.
Cuba’s fragile economy was already reeling from a tightening of economic sanctions ordered by the Trump administration when Covid-19 hit. The pandemic has cut off most tourism revenue, leaving the import-dependent island desperately short of foreign exchange.
The economy shrank by 11 per cent in 2020 after stagnating for years and imports collapsed by a third, leaving creditors empty-handed and Cubans queueing for hours to purchase everyday goods.
The vital tourism industry saw a close to 80 per cent drop in visitors last year. In November the airports reopened, and a trickle of tourists returned, but a surge in Covid-19 cases appears to be undermining hopes of a rebound.
Cuban economist and reform advocate Ricardo Torres said the move to open up the economy would help create jobs and control inflation.
“It gives the authorities a greater margin of freedom to advance in the restructuring of state companies and reduces the discretion of the bureaucracy,” he said.
The Cuban government is hoping that US president Joe Biden will reverse some of the punitive sanctions imposed by the Trump administration — which in its final days designated Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism — and return to Obama-era detente.
John Kavulich, president of the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, said that if Havana successfully pushed through exchange rate liberalisation and expanded the private sector, this would create incentives for Washington to engage.
“The key is the Biden administration must believe the DÃaz-Canel administration is serious about restructuring the economy,” he said. “The only way to show that seriousness is to endure the pains of transformation.”
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Cuba has grappled with how much space to allow private initiative, severely limiting and regulating it.
Authorities appear to have problems uttering the words “private sector”, which is referred to as the “non-state” sector, and “private businesses” which are referred to as the “self-employed”. State media reports of the ministers meeting referred to the latest measure as the “perfecting of self-employment”.
Only in the last few months have private businesses been granted access to wholesale markets and allowed to import and export, though they must use state companies, and they can now partner with foreign investors. A long-promised law granting them company status and putting their rights on par with other economic actors has yet to materialise.
The non-state sector is composed mainly of small private businesses and co-operatives, their employees, artisans, taxi drivers and tradesmen. In agriculture, there are hundreds of thousands of small farms but they must buy inputs from the state and sell their produce to the state.
The labour minister said there were more than 600,000 people in the private sector, some 13 per cent of the labour force and an estimated 40 per cent of them depended mainly on the tourism industry or worked in public transport.
Pavel Vidal, a former Cuban central bank economist who teaches at Colombia’s Universidad Javeriana Cali, said freeing up private business was key to the success of monetary reform that would force restructuring of state businesses and some bankruptcies.
“The self-employed are not going to have it easy in this new beginning due to the complex environment in which they will operate, with few dollars and inputs in the economy, but they will rise little by little,” he said.
THIS is the dramatic moment a huge flood washed away a dam in India after a glacier crashed through it - leaving at least nine people dead.
A further 150 people are missing and feared dead after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off and smashed into a dam, triggering a massive flood of water and debris.
At least nine people have died following the incident in northern IndiaCredit: Reuters
Members of Indo-Tibetan Border Police are tending to people rescuedCredit: Reuters
Villagers have been evacuated and Indian authorities have launched a search operation.
The flood was caused when a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand this morning.
A video shared by officials taken from the side of steep hillside shows a wall of water surging into one of the dams and breaking it into pieces with little resistance before continuing to roar downstream.
Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of the river in Raini village, said: "It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone.
"I felt that even we would be swept away."
The Rishiganga hydropower plant on the Alaknanda River was destroyed, while the Dhauliganga hydropower plant on the Dhauliganga River was damaged, said Vivek Pandey, a spokesman for the paramilitary Indo Tibetan Border Police.
Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand, said 100 to 150 people were feared dead but the actual number had not yet been confirmed.
State police chief Ashok Kumar told reporters more than 50 people working at the dam, the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project, were among those feared dead though some others had been rescue
Flowing from the Himalayan mountains, both rivers meet before merging with the Ganges River.
A search and rescue operation is underway after a glacier smashed through a dam, triggering a floodCredit: Reuters
Rescue workers are battling to find and save more than 150 people missingCredit: AFP or licensors
Pandey said all 12 workers trapped inside a tunnel at the Dhauliganga project were rescued and provided first aid.
Surjeet Singh, a police official, said nine bodies have so far been recovered amid intensified rescue operations.
Pandey said soldiers, who are experts in mountaineering and rescue operations, had been called in.
"The situation is under control and there is no need for panic." he added.
Officials said when the glacier broke it sent water trapped behind it as well as mud and other debris surging down the mountain and into other bodies of water.
Many villages were evacuated as authorities issued an advisory urging people living on the banks of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers to immediately move to safer places.
Several houses were damaged in the flooding, said Ravi Bejaria, a government spokesman - although he did not have details on the number and whether any of the residents were injured, missing or dead.
Authorities emptied two dams further down the river to stop the flood waters from reaching towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh, where popular tourist spots on the banks of the Ganges River were shut and all boating activities were stopped.
Uttarakhand police chief Ashok Kumar said officials immediately alerted residents living in the area and evacuated them to safer places.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a tweet said he was constantly monitoring the situation.
He added: "India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there."
Villagers have been evacuated as rescue efforts are intensifiedCredit: AP:Associated Press
Dozens are missing following the incidentCredit: AFP or licensors
At least 200 people are missing and nine are killed after mountain glacier crashed into dam and triggered huge flood in northern India that swept away homes, roads and bridges
A huge piece of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off on Sunday morning
The breakage sent water and debris crashing into the Dhauligana river valley, destroying homes, damaging power stations and washing away roads
Rescue efforts are underway to save some 17 plant workers trapped in a tunnel
Uttarakhand state was also the site of deadly floods and landslides in 2013
At least 200 people are missing in northern India after a piece of Himalayan glacier broke off, sending a massive flood of water and debris crashing into two dams and sweeping away roads and bridges.
Nine bodies have been recovered, Surjeet Singh, a police official told the Associated Press, and a desperate operation has been launched to rescue some 17 people trapped in a tunnel.
A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarkhand state's Tapovan area on Sunday morning, damaging the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga hydropower projects as well as homes in the area.
The massive burst of water tore through the Dhauliganga river valley, destroying everything in its path, videos shot by terrified residents showed.
'There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earthquake,' local resident Om Agarwal told an Indian TV station.
At least 200 people are missing in northern India after a piece of Himalayan glacier broke off, sending a massive flood of water and debris crashing into two dams and sweeping away roads and bridges. Pictured: The massive burst of water tearing through the Dhauliganga river valley
Nine bodies have so far been recovered, Surjeet Singh, a police official told the Associated Press. Pictured: A dam is shattered by a river in Chamoli, Uttarkhand, following the glacier break off
Most of those missing are workers at two power plants that were battered by the deluge after a huge chunk of the Nanda Devi glacier slipped off a mountainside further upstream, the Uttarkhand state police chief Ashok Kumar said.
'There were 50 workers at Rishi Ganga plant and we have no information about them. Some 150 workers were at Tapovan,' he added.
'About 20 are trapped inside a tunnel. We are trying to reach the trapped workers.'
Vivek Pandey, a spokesman for the paramilitary Indo Tibetan Border Force said the Rishiganga hydropower plant was destroyed, while the Dhauliganga hydropower plant had been damaged.
Both are on the Alaknanda River, which flows from the Himalayan mountains to the Ganges River.
A desperate operation has been launched to rescue some 17 people trapped in a tunnel at a destroyed hydroelectric power station. Pictured: A rescue operation near the Dhauliganga hydro power project in Chamoli
Hundreds of troops and paramilitaries along with military helicopters and other aircraft have been sent to the region to conduct rescue efforts. Pictured: Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel arrive for rescue work
With the main road washed away, the tunnel was filled with mud and rocks and paramilitary rescuers had to climb down a hillside on ropes to get access to the entrance.
Hundreds of troops and paramilitaries along with military helicopters and other aircraft have been sent to the region to conduct rescue efforts.
Authorities have emptied two dams to stop the flood waters reaching the Ganges at the towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar, where people were barred from going near the banks of the sacred river, officials said.
Villages on hillsides overlooking the river were evacuated, but as night fell authorities announced that the main flood danger had passed.
Scores of social media users captured the disaster, with footage showing the massive burst of water tearing through a narrow valley below the power plant, leaving roads and bridges destroyed in its wake.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was monitoring the relief operation.
'India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there,' he wrote on Twitter.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was 'constantly' monitoring the relief operation
Uttarkhand, where the glacier broke off, was the site of a 2013 disaster. Thousands of people were killed in the state after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, washing away thousands of homes and roads and cutting communication links in many parts of the area
Fourteen glaciers overlook the river in Nanda Devi national park - the topic of scientific studies because of growing fears over climate change and deforestation.
'Avalanches are common phenomena in the catchment area,' M.P.S. Bisht, director of the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, told AFP news agency.
'Huge landslides also frequently occur.'
In 2013, thousands of people were killed in Uttarakhand after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, washing away thousands of homes and roads and cutting communication links in many parts of the state.
The disaster led to calls for a review of development projects in the state, particularly in isolated areas like those around the Rishi Ganga dam.
Uma Bharti, a former water resources minister, said that she had called for a freeze on hydroelectric projects in 'sensitive' Himalayan areas such as the Ganges and its tributaries when in government.
Vimlendhu Jha, founder of Swechha, an environmental NGO, said the disaster was a 'grim reminder' of the effects of climate change and the 'haphazard development of roads, railways and power plants in ecologically sensitive areas.'
'Activists and locals have constantly opposed the massive river valley projects,' he added.
At least nine people have died and 140 more are missing in northern India after part of a Himalayan glacier broke off, sending a flood of water and debris into two hydroelectric dams.
A portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of Uttarakhand state on Sunday, with the subsequent flooding damaging the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga hydropower projects, officials said.
About 140 workers at the two power plants were missing, while at least 16 workers were trapped near a tunnel at the Dhauliganga project, local police said.
Nine bodies have already been recovered in intensified rescue operations, police added.
Image:Several teams of rescuers were rushed to the affected area, officials said. Pic: AP
Image:The neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, India's most
populous, put its riverside areas on high alert. Pic: AP
Eyewitness Sanjay Singh Rana, who lives on the upper reaches of the river, told Reuters news agency: "It came very fast, there was no time to alert anyone. I felt that even we would be swept away."
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Officials said the breaking glacier released water trapped behind it as well as sending mud and other debris surging down the mountain and into other bodies of water.
Some houses were also damaged in the flooding and an evacuation of homes on the banks of the Alaknanda river was issued immediately.
Image:Army soldiers have already been deployed and helicopters were doing an aerial observation of the area. Pic: AP
Several teams of rescuers were rushed to the affected area, officials said.
More from UK
"India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.
Image:There is a string of hydroelectric power plants along the Alaknanda River and its tributaries. Pic: AP
In 2013, more than 1,000 people were killed in Uttarakhand after heavy rain triggered landslides and floods, washing away thousands of houses and roads.
