New Delhi:
Nearly 5,500 people, most of them pilgrims, remain stranded in the
Kedarnath region of Uttarakhand, which has been pounded by heavy rain since Saturday night. Another 15,000 are stuck at Badrinath and nearby areas.
With the weather improving today, rescue operations led by the army are surging. (
See pics)
50 people have been found dead near the Kedarnath temple, one of the four main religious sites in the state. The temple is located in the Himalayas at a height of 3584 meters near the Chorabari glacier.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said that the temple has not been damaged, but it will remain off-limits because the area around it has been torn apart.
Starting tomorrow, the army will focus its efforts on Kedarnath. Nearly 3,000 soldiers will reach the area. Some will be flown in on helicopters, others are trekking there. Evacuations by air are expected to start from Saturday. Over 6,000 soldiers will be deployed across the affected region by Saturday.
Troops will be concentrated in Sonprayag, about 30 km from the famous Kedarnath temple which is partially submerged in slush but has not been damaged.
The army says it will station soldiers every two kilometres between Kedarnath and Sonprayag
The temple is located at a height of 3,581 metres above sea level in the Rudra Himalayan range.
Officials said that more than 200 government and private hotels and lodges and more than 100 shops around the temple have been flattened.
The 14-km stretch from the base camp to the shrine is inaccessible.