This still image from a video shows general view during a flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India. ANI/Reuters

As many as 150 people were feared dead after a Himalayan glacier broke and crashed into an Indian dam early on Sunday, with floods forcing the evacuation of villages downstream.

India put many of its northern districts on high alert on Sunday after the "breaking of a part" of a Himalayan glacier, officials said, with people being evacuated due to rising water levels on a river that the glacier feeds.

"The actual number has not been confirmed yet," but 100 to 150 people were feared dead, Om Prakash, chief secretary of Uttarakhand state where the incident happened, told Reuters.

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Footage from TV channels and news agency ANI, a Reuters partner, showed water gushing toward a dam in the state of Uttarakhand, washing away parts of it and whatever else was in its path.

Image only for representation

"The news of relief is that the flow of Alaknanda River beyond Nandprayag (stretch) has become normal," Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said on Twitter.

"The water level of the river is now 1 meter above normal but the flow is decreasing."

Locals fear that people working at a nearby hydro-power project had been swept away, as well as villagers roaming near the river looking for firewood or grazing their cattle, Rana said.

"We have no idea how many people are missing," he said.

India has also put many of its northern districts on high alert.

Footage shared by locals showed the water washing away parts of the dam as well as whatever else was in its path.

Videos on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed water surging through a small dam site, washing away construction equipment.

"The flow of the Alaknanda River beyond Nandprayag (stretch) has become normal," Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said on Twitter.

"The water level of the river is now 1 meter above normal but the flow is decreasing."

Uttarakhand in the Himalayas is prone to flash floods and landslides. In June 2013, record rainfall caused devastating floods that claimed close to 6,000 lives.

That disaster was dubbed the "Himalayan tsunami" by the media due to the torrents of water unleashed in the mountainous area, which sent mud and rocks crashing down, burying homes, sweeping away buildings, roads and bridges.