Three people were killed and more than 200 were believed to be missing after a flash flood in a river valley in northern India.
The flood damaged the Rishiganga hydroelectric station near Raini village in Uttarakhand state, as well as a partially built plant on the Dhauliganga River near Tapovan, police said.
Ashok Kumar, the state police chief of Uttrakhand, said that more than 200 workers were missing.
"The waters have been controlled in a dam. There is no danger downstream but we are taking precautions," he said.
Both the damaged sites belong to the Indian state power utility company, NTPC.
The Indo-Tibetan Police Force said that three bodies were recovered near the NTPC Tapovan project, and at least 12 workers who were trapped in a tunnel at the site had been rescued.
"There were 50 workers at Rishiganga and there is no information about them," Mr Kumar said. "Some 150 workers were at Tapovan.
"There are around 15 to 20 workers trapped inside the tunnel when the floods came."
The army and air force have joined the rescue operation.
The river is a tributary of the Ganges, running through steep gorges.
Although the region is sparsely populated, flash flooding in the area caused hundreds of deaths further downstream in 2013. Authorities said the devastation on Sunday resulted from an avalanche triggered by a glacier breach at about 11am.
People living on the banks of the Alaknanda River were asked to leave immediately.
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A man reacts after being pulled to safety by Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel during rescue operations following flash flooding in the Tapovan area of India's northern state of Uttarakhand. AP -
Members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police tend to people rescued in Tapovan after a Himalayan glacier collapsed and caused flash flooding in Uttarakhand state. Reuters -
Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel search for survivors in Chormi village in Tapovan after flash floods swept away a small hydroelectric dam. Reuters -
People inspect the site near the damaged Dhauli Ganga hydropower project at Reni village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. AP -
Civilians and members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police during rescue operations at Reni village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. AFP -
Members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police search underground for survivors in Reni village after a flash flood in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state. AFP -
A worker talks to State Disaster Response Fund personnel at Reni village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. AFP -
A police offer asks pilgrims to leave the banks of the river Ganges in Haridwar, India, as a precautionary measure after flash flooding in a tributary in Uttarakhand. AP -
A view of the damaged Dhauliganga hydropower project at Reni village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand after a section of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off and caused a flash flood. AP -
A view of the damaged Dhauliganga hydropower project at Reni village in the Chamoli district . AP -
Mud and slush in the Dhauli Ganga river after a flash flood. AP -
Damage caused by a flash flood at Raini Chak Lata village in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, India. Reuters -
People walk past a destroyed dam after a glacier collapsed and crashed into the dam at Raini Chak Lata village in the Chamoli district. Reuters -
This handout photograph provided by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police shows police personnel during a rescue operation to clear debris from Tapovan tunnel following floods after a glacier collapsed in the Chamoli district. Part of a Himalayan glacier broke away into an Indian river, causing huge torrents that breached a dam and swept away bridges and roads. AFP -
Indo Tibetan Border Police personnel during a rescue operation to clear Tapovan tunnel. AFP -
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel arrive for rescue work after a section of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand. AP -
A rescue team works at the site of a flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, in this still image obtained from a video. Reuters -
A dam is shattered by a river in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, in this still image taken from a video. Reuters -
General view of a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, in this still image taken from a video. Reuters -
A view of damaged dam after a Himalayan glacier collapsed and crashed into the dam at Raini Chak Lata village in Chamoli district in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India. Reuters -
A view of damaged dam after a Himalayan glacier broke and crashed into the dam at Raini Chak Lata village in Chamoli district in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India. Reuters -
General view of a flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, in this still image obtained from a video. Reuters -
General view of a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, in this still image obtained from a video. Reuters -
General view of a flash flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India, in this still image obtained from a video. Reuters -
This still image from a video provided by KK Productions shows a flash flood in the Chamoli District after a portion of the Nanda Devi glacier collapsed in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand, India. AP
“The most disturbing thing is that this is not flood season and there was no warning to those downstream,” Himanshu Thakkar, co-ordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said.
MPS Bisht, director of the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, said that prior to the glacier collapse, there had been a strong discharge of water in the Rishiganga tributary of the Dhauliganga.
"There are almost 14 glaciers around the famous Nanda Devi peak, which rises to 7,817 metres. These glaciers supply ice melt water to the Rishiganga," he said.
