14 bodies recovered, 170 missing from glacier burst in India’s Uttarakhand

The disaster  struck at around 10.00 hours (Indian Standard Time) on Sunday and gravely affected two power projects where around 150 workers were on duty.

Out of 170 people missing so far  - 148 were from NTPC plant and 22 at Rishiganga. Twelve people were rescued by ITBP from an under-construction tunnel. Around thirty others are trapped in a second tunnel,and rescue operations are still continuing.

14 bodies had been found so far. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat who visited Chamoli district on Sunday, said rescue teams were "doing their best to save the lives of the workers". He also said a team of scientific experts would work to establish the exact cause of the disaster at a later stage.

Mr Rawat also announced ? 4 lakh compensation for the family of those killed. An extra ? 2 lakh will be given from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, with ? 50,000 for those with serious injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,"Am constantly monitoring the unfortunate situation in Uttarakhand. India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone's safety there. Have been continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on NDRF deployment, rescue work and relief operations,".

Medical teams have been rushed to affected sites at Joshimath and hospitals in Srinagar, Rishikesh, Jollygrant and Dehradun are on standby.

Massive flash floods and landslides hit Uttarakhand's Kedarnath in June 2013 after a multi-day cloudburst. Over 5,700 people were killed then.

Scientists said,"Melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled since the start of the 21st century due to rising temperatures.reports said that climate change is the main reason behind the breaking of glaciers.