资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

A glacial flood that tore through a Himalayan valley, killing at least 12 people with fears for 170 more, has sharpened concerns about an acceleration in climate change disasters, as rescuers scramble through the hostile terrain to find survivors.

The flood, triggered by a glacial burst, where water trapped behind a frozen glacier is suddenly released due to melting, swept through hydroelectric plants in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday.

More than 300 Indo-Tibetan Border Police officers were deployed on Monday to search for dozens of survivors stuck in hydro-electric tunnels after villages near the disaster zone were evacuated.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “continuously speaking to senior authorities and getting updates on National Disaster Response Force deployment, rescue work and relief operations”. Local media reported farmers hearing a loud thundering sound before the wall of water from the Nanda Devi glacier swept relatives, cows and trees away from them.

Read the full article on The Sydney Morning Herald website, featuring commentary by Prof Mark Howden