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| North India rains: Death toll rising in Uttarakhand, 556 bodies 'noticed' | | | Agencies
New Delhi/Uttar-akhand: The state and central agencies on Friday stepped up relief and rescue operations in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand even as the death toll rose to 763.
Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna told a news channel that 556 bodies had been noticed buried deep in slush and the army was trying to recover them.
Earlier, the Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde put the official death count at 207 and expressed fears that the figure might go up as the army carried on clearing the debris.
So far, the agencies have rescued 34,000 people, Shine said and announced appointment of former Union home secretary VK Duggal as the nodal officer to coordinate relief and rescue operations.
About 50,000-odd people are still trapped, he said. Rescuing them is the biggest challenge in the face of apprehensions that there could be another bout of nonstop rain anytime, sources said.
Uttarakhand officials said the focus of the rescue operation would now be the worst-hit Kedarnath area where 250 people are stranded. The operation would then shift to Badrinath where 9000 people are stuck.
State agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat termed the Uttarakhand floods as the "worst tragedy of the millennium" and said, "It will take us at least five years to recover from the extensive damages caused to the entire infrastructure network in the Kedarnath area which is the worst affected."
Indicating speedy rescue operations, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said, "The Air Force has deployed 13 more aircraft taking the number of aircraft for relief and rescue operations to 43."
Earlier in the morning, the relatives of those trapped in the flood-hit areas staged protests in Deharadun alleging slow relief and rescue operations.
Later, Union home minister held a review meeting in Delhi and addressed newspersons about the rescue work and the death toll.
Speaking to HT, SSP Rajeev Swaroop said, "In all about 48 bodies have been traced at different locations in Ganga. We have recovered 15 bodies so far including one of a woman and the process of recovering bodies is still on. These have been kept at Rishikul ayurvedic college morchery. Identification of these bodies is a challenge since they are swollen up, and badly damaged."
The IAF deployed 13 more aircraft for relief and rescue work, taking to 43 the total number of planes in operation.
The aircraft including IAF's heavylift Mi-26 helicopters -- the world's largest chopper -- for transporting fuel and heavy equipment required by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to clear roads closed due to landslide and also set up an airbridge in one affected area to pull out stranded persons. |
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