UP opposition leaders urge Centre to assist neighbouring Uttarakhand as glacier burst sets off flash floods

Lucknow: Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday termed the disaster caused due to flash floods triggered by a massive glacial burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district extremely sad, and urged the Centre to extend all possible help to the state. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said the loss of lives was extremely saddening.

"The loss of lives in the lower areas caused after an avalanche in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand is extremely saddening. The Centre should ensure every type of help to the state government to tackle the disaster. This is the demand of the BSP," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

A part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off at Joshimath in Chamoli on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.


Over 150 labourers working at a power project in Tapovan-Reni are feared dead, an Indo Tibetan Border Police spokesperson said while quoting the project-in charge. Three bodies were recovered.


Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the government's priority should be on rescuing stranded people in the affected areas.

"The priority of the government should be to rescue people who are stranded and immediately locate those who are missing. We appeal to our people in Uttarakhand to come forward and extend all possible help to the affected people and those engaged in relief work," Yadav said in a Hindi tweet.

Rashtriya Lok Dal national spokesperson Anupam Mishra said the disaster is extremely sad news for the country.