From the Indian Air Force, engaged in a mammoth rescue operation in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, comes a message for the tens of thousands of people still stranded - "Our helicopter rotors will not stop churning till such time that we get each one of you. Hang in there, don't lose hope."
(How you can help)Heavy rain in much of the hill state is posing a serious challenge to rescue operations, but the air force has not stopped air evacuation. It has conducted about 52 helicopter sorties today despite the bad weather in Harsil and in the Rampur-Karcha-Puh-Sangla area, airlifting 430 people since this morning.
(Read)This is the largest rescue and relief operation launched by the Indian armed forces. It is the IAF's biggest ever helicopter-based operation and close to 30 choppers are in the area conducting multiple sorties every day. On Sunday alone, about 3,000 people were air evacuated.
Some areas like Badrinath, where about 5,000 people are still stranded, however, have been difficult to approach because of the weather. The Met department expects heavy rain over the next four days and the Air Force is looking for pockets of opportunity when it can fly.
(See today's overview)About 15,000 people are still stranded in the state after massive floods hit Uttarakhand last week. About 80,000 people have been rescued, 680 have died and hundreds are still missing.