Dehradun:
Twenty soldiers, who died in Tuesday's chopper crash while rescuing stranded people in flood-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand, were given a 'guard of honour'-- a ceremonial mark of respect-- by the government in Dehradun today.
Here are the latest developments in the story:
Even as the soldiers were being honoured, a Pawan Hans helicopter that was on a rescue mission crash landed in Harsil. The tail rotor of the chopper suffered slight damage. No causalities were reported. (Pawan Hans rescue chopper crash lands at Harsil, no casualties)
Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minster Vijay Bahuguna and Army Chief General Bikram Singh were present when the bravehearts were honoured.
Speaking to reporters earlier this morning, the Home Minister said more choppers will be sent to Uttarakhand to quicken rescue work.
General Singh lauded the efforts of over 8,000 personnel of the Army, the Air Force, the ITBP and the NDRF and said, "They are son of soils and large number of them are affected too. I must tell you these boys have refused to take leave to attend to their kith and kin and rather render their duties. We all had a phenomenal synergy." (Rescue operations to continue till last person is evacuated, says Army Chief)
Over 100,000 people have been rescued in the last 13 days since floods and torrential rains ravaged the state, but nearly 2,500 are still stranded, most of them in the holy town of Badrinath.
Rescuers hope that the weather will allow them to finish operations today. The focus will then shift to the massive task of tracing the missing people and rehabilitation of those displaced by the disaster.
About 3000 people are believed to be missing in the state. An official said about 1500 roads had been washed away, over 2000 houses and 154 bridges have been damaged in the state.
The sturdy Russian-made Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force had crashed on Tuesday in a narrow valley in the hill state. On board were five IAF personnel, nine from the National Disaster Response Force and six Indo Tibetan Border Police men.
In Kedarnath, the epicentre of the disaster, mass cremations began on Wednesday and continued on Thursday. DNA samples have been preserved from all bodies, the official said. There is as yet no estimate on how many people died in the temple town. With many bodies still buried under debris, NDRF teams have been asked to assist the local administration to recover the bodies.
The union health ministry has assured that no outbreak of disease has been reported from any part of Uttarakhand, though there have been some cases of diarrhoea in Haridwar, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag.
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