Bug#897360: fails to configure during upgrade

[Dimitrios Eftaxiopoulos]

Package: mpich
Version: 3.3~b2-5
Severity: serious


During an upgrade attempt I get the following output:

~$ LANG=C sudo aptitude full-upgrade
The following partially installed packages will be configured:
  libmpich-dev mpich 
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 0 B will be used.
Setting up mpich (3.3~b2-5) ...          
update-alternatives: error: /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/mpi corrupt: slave link same as main link /usr/bin/mpicc
dpkg: error processing package mpich (--configure):
 installed mpich package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of libmpich-dev:amd64:
 libmpich-dev:amd64 depends on mpich (= 3.3~b2-5); however:
  Package mpich is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package libmpich-dev:amd64 (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 mpich
 libmpich-dev:amd64
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Setting up mpich (3.3~b2-5) ...
update-alternatives: error: /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/mpi corrupt: slave link same as main link /usr/bin/mpicc
dpkg: error processing package mpich (--configure):
 installed mpich package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 2
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of libmpich-dev:amd64:
 libmpich-dev:amd64 depends on mpich (= 3.3~b2-5); however:
  Package mpich is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package libmpich-dev:amd64 (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
 mpich
 libmpich-dev:amd64


-- System Information:
Debian Release: buster/sid
  APT prefers unstable-debug
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable-debug'), (500, 'testing-debug'), (500, 'stable-debug'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental-debug'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.15.0-3-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=el_GR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=el_GR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE=el:en_US (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled

Versions of packages mpich depends on:
ii  hwloc-nox   1.11.10-1
ii  libc6       2.27-3
ii  libgcc1     1:8-20180425-1
ii  libmpich12  3.3~b2-5

Versions of packages mpich recommends:
iu  libmpich-dev  3.3~b2-5

Versions of packages mpich suggests:
pn  mpich-doc  <none>

-- no debconf information