Indian rescuers searched on Monday for more than 200 people missing after part of a remote Himalayan glacier broke away, sweeping away bridges, breaking dams and sending a torrent of water, rocks and construction debris down a mountain valley. “As of now, around 203 people are missing,” state chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said. Mohd Farooq Azam, assistant professor, glaciology & hydrology at the Indian Institute of Technology in Indore, said a hanging glacier fractured. “Our current hypothesis is that the water accumulated and locked in the debris-snow below the glacier was released when the glacier-rock mass fell,” he said. Videos on social media showed water surging through a small dam site, washing away construction equipment and bringing down small bridges.

Source: The Irish Times February 08, 2021 07:51 UTC