Pope Francis has expressed sympathy for the victims of a flash flood in India’s Himalayan region which has left 171 people unaccounted for.
Most of those unaccounted for since the Feb. 7 disaster in Uttarakhand state are workers at the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project and at the smaller Rishiganga Dam, which was swept away by the torrent that coursed through the Dhauliganga River.
“I express my closeness to the victims of the calamity that happened three days ago in the north of India where part of a glacier detached itself provoking violent flooding that devastated the construction sites of two power plants,” Pope Francis said during his general audience in the Library of the Vatican Apostolic Palace on Feb. 10.
“I pray for the workers who died and for their families and for all those who were harmed and wounded,” he said.
So far, the bodies of 33 people have been found, said the office of the Uttarakhand state police chief.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has said Caritas institutes will render assistance to those affected by the disaster.
While scores of others are thought to have been washed away as rock and debris surged down river, rescue efforts have been focused on saving an estimated 35 workers stuck in a 2.5 km tunnel connected to the Tapovan project. But the slush and water has been so heavy that soldiers have made only halting progress in four days.
After clearing more than 100 meters of mud, rocks and debris, relief workers on Feb. 11 sent water tankers and generators deep into the tunnel to assist in drilling.
The men are trying to search for signs of life in smaller tunnels and rooms branching off from the main passage, officials said.
Relatives continued to arrive at the site, but five days after the disaster, there was frustration at the lack of progress.
“They are not telling us anything,” said Praveen Saini, whose nephew, Ajay Kumar Saini, is trapped in the tunnel.
Another was holding onto hope that his brother had survived after he was able to ring his mobile.
“If his phone survived, maybe he survived,” Jugal Kishore said.
Originally thought to be a glacier breaking apart in the country’s second highest, Nanda Devi mountain, and crashing into the river, some scientists now say the flood was more likely to have been caused by an avalanche.
With Reuters
