Catholic Church rushes to aid Uttarakhand families hit by avalanche (VIDEO)

by Nirmala Carvalho

Card. Oswald Gracias prays for the victims and for the rescue of the missing. Caritas India takes action to help the authorities involved in relief efforts. There are currently 14 dead, swept away by the wave of water and mud that destroyed two dams. A Catholic mission on the spot tries to assess the extent of the damage.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Caritas India will send immediate aid to people in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand who have been hit by floods caused by a great avalanche, AsiaNews was told by card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Indian Bishops' Conference. He said: “My heart weeps for the victims and their families. Many workers are still missing; I pray that they will be found soon and receive medical assistance ”.

At least 14 people died and 150 were injured after a part of the glacier collapsed into the Dhauli Ganga River (Chamoli district). The impact generated a wave of water that overwhelmed two dams under construction: a river of water and mud then devastated an entire valley.

Military and paramilitary personnel are in the rescue area. So far 25 people have been rescued; a hundred are still missing. For the most part, the victims and the missing are workers engaged in the construction of the Tapovan lock.

Msgr. Vincent Nellaiparambil, bishop of the local diocese of Bijnor, says that at the moment it is not yet possible to make an exact assessment of the damage to the villages in the affected area: "Father Ajo Thelappilly leads our mission 25 km from the site of the tragedy. He has not yet managed to reach the disaster area. After having made an assessment of the situation we will be able to send the necessary help ".