LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2021) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the Indian people after a Himalayan glacier burst caused devastating flooding in the state of Uttarakhand, and offered any support needed.
"My thoughts are with the people of India and rescue workers in Uttarakhand as they respond to devastating flooding from the glacier collapse. The UK stands in solidarity with India and is ready to offer any support needed," Johnson wrote on his Twitter account.
Fifty people are feared dead as a result of the breaking of Nanda Devi glacier in India's northern state of Uttarakhand, sources in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) told Sputnik on Sunday.
According to the sources, the victims were trapped in a tunnel at the Rishi Ganga power project site when the glacier struck.
Ten bodies have been recovered so far, police told the news 18 broadcaster, while about 150 people are missing. At the same time, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), seven people have died and 170 are still missing after the disaster.
Later on Sunday, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat arrived in the village of Raini in the Tapovan area, where the disaster took place, to monitor the situation. He was briefed by locals, the ITBP forces and military.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, meanwhile, told reporters two ITBP teams arrived at the spot and three teams of the National Disaster Response Force were rushed from Dehradun, the northern state's capital. The official added that three more teams with air forces' helicopters would be sent until the end of the day.
