9 from UP died in Uttarakhand disaster, 59 still missing: Officials

Nine people from Uttar Pradesh have died and 59 others are still missing after the flash floods in Uttarakhand, possibly triggered by an avalanche in the upper reaches of the Alaknanda river system, officials said on Sunday. In a statement issued here, UP's Relief Commissioner Sanjay Goyal said, "As of February 14, nine people have died in the Uttarakhand glacier burst, while 59 are still missing. A total of 23 people from UP have been found alive after the disaster."

Of the 59 missing, 30 are from Lakhimpur Kheri, followed by 10 from Saharanpur, five from Shravasti, two from Raebareli and one each from Sonbhadra, Shahjahanpur, Moradabad, Mirzapur, Mathura, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Chandauli, Bulandshahr, Azamgarh and Amroha, the statement said.

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier possibly burst through its banks in Chamoli district on February 7. It appeared to have triggered an avalanche and a deluge that ripped through the Alaknanda river system in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.