According to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police paramilitary spokesman, Vivek Pandey, citing the Associated Press, 140 workers at two hydroelectric power plants were missing due to the avalanche and water floods. Another 16 workers were to be stranded at the construction site near Daliganga Power Station.

The tragedy occurred as a result of the collapse of a part of the Nanda Devi glacier in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The break released a large wave of water as well Avalanche Mud and stones that smashed the dam on the river and destroyed everything in its path. Homes in the area have been damaged, according to Indian government spokesman Ravi Bjarya.

Photos shared by residents show how water breaks off part of the dam. “The water level in the Alakananda River is now more than a meter above normal, but the flow is receding,” Prime Minister Trivindra Singh Rawat said on Twitter.