Racing against time in the face of predicted adverse weather, over 10,000 people were evacuated on the sixth day of the tragedy on Saturday from various upper reaches of the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, including the worst-affected Kedarnath areas, even as the authorities warned of the toll crossing 1,000-mark.According to the latest count released by the Central and state governments, 70,000 stranded people have been rescued in the mammoth ongoing multi-agency operations but still over 22,000 remain to be evacuated.
While the weather is forecast to be stable on today, those engaged in the operations are worried about the rain forecast for Monday and Tuesday that could hamper their work."The death toll is likely to be around 1,000," chief minister Vijay Bahuguna told reporters here as the Himalayan tragedy unfolded after the gushing waters left behind a trail of death and destruction. A conclusive figure can be arrived at only after the slush and debris under which bodies could be buried are cleared, he said.
Officials said 123 bodies were recovered from the Kedarnath temple complex raising the official death toll to 680. The Army said 83 bodies were identified and handed over to authorities. Mounting the biggest-ever operation to evacuate people from a disaster zone in peace time, 61 helicopters, including 43 of IAF and 11 of the Army, were deployed. The world's biggest Russian-made MI-26 helicopters that can carry about 150 passengers were pressed into service for the second day yesterday.
Information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari said in Delhi that while the Army and ITBP rescued 4,000 people each, air force chipped in to move the rest. He said all Central and state agencies are working in full coordination, a point he made hours after home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said there seems to have been some lack of coordination.
Former home secretary VK Duggal, who is also a member of the National Disaster Management Authority, has been appointed to coordinate the work of various agencies in rescue and relief operations. Meanwhile, the IAF deployed special aircraft C-130J Super Hercules for rescue as the Met department has warned of rainfall in the next two days in flood-hit Uttarakhand.
The C-130J Super Hercules aircraft are customized for covert special operations and are capable of landing at makeshift and short runways, to evacuate stranded people from the state. The C-130Js, three of which are dedicated for the rescue operations, have also been used to ferry people from Dharasu to Hindan Air base near the Capital. So far, over 300 people have been evacuated.
The Army has deployed around 10,000 personnel for the rescue operations in the state, while IAF has deployed more than 50 choppers and fixed wing aircraft to save people stuck there for over five days now. The IAF has so far flown around 150 sorties and evacuated over 1,400 people from places, including the worst-affected Kedarnath-Gaurikund axis. "The first C 130J aircraft landed at Dharasu (a landing ground only 1300 feet long) in the early morning today despite inclement weather. On landing, the aircraft defueled 8000 litre fuel into an empty bowser which was airlifted yesterday from Sarsawa by a Mi 26 helicopter," a defence ministry release said here.
This would help IAF to augment its efforts in that region as availability of more fuel would help in seamless operations of its choppers, it said.
