National
At least 11 Nepalis still missing in Sunday’s Uttarakhand glacial avalanche
The number of Nepali nationals missing could rise as Indian authorities are yet to find out further details of the missing persons.Suresh Raj Neupane
Eleven Nepalis are still missing in the floods caused by a glacial avalanche in the Uttarakhand state of northern India on Sunday.
On Sunday, a Himalayan glacier broke below 7,816-metre Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest peak, sweeping away a small hydroelectric project and damaging a bigger one further downstream on the Dhauliganga river, according to media reports.
A list made public by Uttrakhand’s Chamoli District Police stated that of the 175 people missing in the incident eleven are Nepali nationals.
Of the eleven, seven Nepalis were working at the Rishiganga Hydroelectric Project, three were employed at the NTPC Hydroelectric Project in Tapoban while one was working as a labourer at Raini Village. The authorities have been able to ascertain the address details of only one Sohan Chaudhary, a worker at Tapoban-based project.
The number of Nepalis missing in the natural disaster could increase as the authorities have not included the family names and the addresses of many workers in the list of 55 who have been missing from Rishiganga Project.
Earlier on Sunday evening, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel had rescued four Nepalis along with eight others who had been missing in the floods, from the tunnel of NTPC Hydroelectric Project.
According to Indo-Tibet Border Police spokesperson Bibek Pandey, the 12 workers were trapped inside the tunnel after the flood debris from Dhauliganga River blocked their way out.
All of the rescued including the four Nepalis—Chitra Bahadur, Basanta Bahadur, Santa Bahadur and Kiran Bahadur— are currently undergoing medical treatment at Chamoli-based Indo-Tibet Border Police hospital and their health condition is normal, informed Pandey.