5,000 in Uttarakhand feared dead; 19,000 still stranded

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Pilgrims rescued from Kedarnath sit in an IAF helicopter at Guptkashi in Uttarakhand on Sunday. — PTI

The Uttarakhand government on Sunday expressed fears that at least 5,000 people may have lost their lives in the worst-ever deluge to have struck the hill state.
“At least 5,000 people must have been killed in the deluge that inflicted heavy damage on vast tracts, especially in the Kedarnath valley,” state disaster management minister Yashpal Arya told reporters at Dehra Dun’s Jolly Grant airport after an aerial survey of the affected areas.
On Saturday, the official death toll was first put at 680, while chief minister Vijay Bahuguna later said it was likely to be around 1,000.
The Kedarnath Valley, the temple town which was the epicentre of the Uttarakhand rain fury, was cleared of all stranded pilgrims on Sunday as rescuers battled rains to evacuate more people.
The met department has warned of adverse weather in the region from Monday, and all agencies raced against time to try rescue the 19,000 still stranded in three areas, including Badrinath. Air operations had to be briefly suspended on Sunday due to bad weather.
The evacuation exercise was put on acceleration mode on Sunday while the disaster management authorities worked on a “Plan B” — to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), prepare foot tracks, road routes and structures on cliffs that can sustain heavy rainfall given that heavy rain is again expected in the flood-hit state on Monday.
Continuing its rescue operations with military precision using “cliff assault techniques”, skilled mountain rescue troops of the Army on Sunday also managed to evacuate 1,000 stranded pilgrims from the mountain folds around Jungle Chatti in the Kedar Valley both by foot and by air. Hundreds of these fatigued and exhausted tourists were finally rescued almost seven days after the tragedy struck the Kedar Valley. Army helicopters too continued rescue operations.
In what was described as one of the most “dangerous” zones, 460 pilgrims were rescued by troops on foot.
In addition, the Army also launched two columns from Dharasu and Barkot and evacuated all stranded pilgrims from Yamunotri.
The government is aware air evacuation may not be possible if the weather turns hostile in the next few days, and rescue work will be limited to ground operations. The “Netra” UAVs will be used by the National Disaster Response Force from Monday to trace survivors.
Top government sources said emphasis was also being laid on airdropping as many food packets and extending all possible help to survivors stuck at various locations to ensure no more lives are lost once the rainfall resumes.
“The rains on Tuesday are our main worry... If we get a three-four-hour window tomorrow, we can do well,” Air Marshal S.B. Deo, DG (air operations), was quoted by news agencies as saying.
Hundreds of pilgrims and locals are believed to be still stuck in areas like Jungle Chatti, where only limited access has been established since Friday. The disaster management authorities say the worry is also Badrinath, where nearly 7,000-8,000 pilgrims are still stuck. Foot tracks are being built in an area of about 50 km near Badrinath to evacuate the stranded pilgrims. Around 200 ITBP jawans are engaged in this exercise. Two thousand people are at Harsil, and the Army will restart operations on Monday to evacuate them.
“Till Saturday night, there were 60-70 people left around the Kedarnath shrine, which has now been cleared. Around 100 people remain stranded in Goregaon and as many as 450 people are yet to be evacuated from Jungle Chatti and nearby areas,” ITBP chief Ajay Chaddha said. A small number of people are also stuck at Bhairon Chatti, where NDRF teams are trying to set up a helipad.
The toll in the unprecedented tragedy is rising every day, with 123 bodies recovered from the Kedarnath area on Sunday. Mr Bahuguna said bodies being recovered from different places will be disposed of as per traditional rituals. A “mahayagya” will be held in Hardwar on the 13th day of the tragedy. This suggestion came during the CM’s meeting with Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in Hardwar on Saturday.
On Sunday, rescue work got temporarily delayed as air operations were suspended briefly due to bad weather. But the helicopters resumed flights soon afterward. The IAF airlifted over 2,000 persons to safety from Sunday morning till afternoon.
The government-appointed coordinator for relief and rescue, former Union home secretary V.K. Duggal, has called a meeting of all stakeholders, including the Army, ITBP, BRO, Central ministries and state government officials, on Monday, where operational difficulties will be ironed out. Two helipads have been built at the Gauri Gaon and Rambada areas near Kedarnath.
The Centre is also working on a long-term plan to reconstruct and renovate areas near the Kedarnath shrine, that bore the brunt of the damage, Congress leader Ambika Soni said in Dehra Dun. The CM, Mr Bahuguna, also said rehabilitation of the Kedarnath shrine was a top priority of his government, and would be done after taking suggestions from the Archaeological Survey of India. Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, who met Mr Bahuguna after an aerial survey, also offered all help to the state government in reconstructing the flood-ravaged Kedarnath shrine.
The Army, meanwhile, launched the third phase of its Operation “Surya Hope” on Sunday, focusing on the contingency plan of evacuating people by road from the hubs at Harsil, Gauri Kund and Badrinath. “With the launch of the Burma Bridge across the Alaknanda river at Lam Bagar on the Joshimath-Badrinath road, it is now possible for pilgrims to be evacuated by foot from Badrinath to Govindghat. In the midst of the gigantic rescue effort by the armed forces in Uttarakhand, Army doctors, including a woman doctor of captain rank, helped two pregnant women deliver their babies at Tijam in the Tawaghat sector of Uttarakhand. Army doctors had to walk through 15 km of rough terrain to reach the women, sources said.