Uttarakhand glacier burst: VP Naidu offers prayers

Dehradun, Feb 07: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday prayed for the safety of those affected by the flash flood in Uttarakhand after a glacier broke off at Joshimath.

A part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand''s Chamoli district on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river causing large-scale devastation.

More than 150 labourers working in a power project are missing, officials said.

Homes along the way were swept away as the waters rushed down the mountainsides in a raging torrent. There were fears of damage in human settlements downstream. Many villages were evacuated and people taken to safer areas.

"I join the nation in praying for the safety of all those affected by the flash flood caused by a glacier burst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand," the Vice President Secretariat tweeted quoting Naidu.

The vice president said he is sure that the state and central governments are trying their best to mitigate the crisis.