Drones to aid rescue ops in Uttrakhand
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Joshimath/New Delhi: As conditions continue to be adverse in flood ravaged Uttarakhand, drones are now helping search teams make a last ditch attempt to find survivors, if any, in the devastated state. Teams combing forests and the worst hit regions like those around Jungle Chetty and Rambada, where a large number of pilgrims have either died or gone missing, have had little success, however.
A senior Army official said that a large number of people are still missing as they have neither made contact with their families nor reached any rehabilitation centre so far.
“Those who have not reached camps or contacted their families for over 10 days are presumed dead. From Thursday onwards we are concentrating on bringing people who are safe but stranded in different parts of the devastated areas. Though the weather condition was not suitable for regular sorties, around 800 people were rescued and brought to Joshimath helipad,” he said.
Air Force and Army officials assured that weather permitting , all the stranded people in Badrinath will be evacuated by Sunday.
But the frustration is mounting among the still stranded 8,000 pilgrims who continue to be cut off from the outside world . The rescue teams are providing them with food and shelter, but landslides have effectively cut off the road between Badrinath and Joshimath.
Meanwhile, the Kedarnath temple premises in Uttarakhand has been cleared of all bodies. The shrine authorities are preparing to clean the area and conduct sanctification process, hoping to resume formal pujas after about two weeks.
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