Dehradun/New Delhi:
Rescue choppers are conducting a series of sorties in Uttarakhand after operations were suspended this morning due to bad weather. Nearly 22,000 are stranded across the state that saw a massive deluge, triggered by torrential rains last week. 557 deaths have been reported so far, and the toll is expected to rise further.
Here are the latest developments in the story:
Efforts are on to rescue an estimated 500 people who are stranded en route to the temple town of Kedarnath, one of the worst-hit areas. Choppers could not operate in the region earlier in the day due to intermittent rains and a thick cover of fog. 123 bodies have already been recovered by NDRF teams from the Kedarnath temple complex.
The focus of operations is on Jungle Chatti, in mountains between Gaurikund and Rambara in Kedarnath, where nearly 500 people are stuck. A nearly six-kilometre land route has been established between Jungle Chatti and Gaurigaon to move out those stranded.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to locate survivors in remote areas that still remain inaccessible.
Rescuers have also evacuated 2,500 people from Badrinath after restoring the road link to Hanuman Chatti. The pilgrims will then have to walk another 10 kilometres to Gobind Ghat, from where they will travel in cars to Joshimath where they will be airlifted.
The Met department has already predicted heavy showers from June 25 onwards, prompting Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to set a three-day deadline on Saturday for completion of rescue work.
Weather permitting, two C-130J aircraft will transport a medical team and equipment to set up an emergency "mini hospital" in Kedarnath, Indian Air Force spokeswoman Priya Joshi told AFP. A medical camp has been set up at Guptkashi in Rudrapayag district which also witnessed massive destruction.
The Home Ministry has distributed 25 satellite phones to enable uninterrupted communication during rescue operations. Fifty more phones have also been procured.
Over 60 helicopters of the Army and Air Force have been pressed into service in what is being considered as the biggest rescue operation launched by the armed forces. Around 10,000 army and paramilitary troops, members of the country's disaster management agency and volunteers are involved in the rescue and relief efforts.
Many survivors - desperate for food and water - have complained that they were robbed, cheated and exploited.
Distraught relatives clutching photographs of missing family members have been waiting for days outside the airport at Dehradun, the state capital, hoping for news of their loved ones.
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