Rescue operations are underway in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district after a flash flood and mudslide.
Hundreds of people have been rescued and airlifted to safety, but many are still missing.
Blocked highways and large debris piles are complicating the search and rescue efforts.
Following the flash flood and mudslide on Tuesday, the army and the disaster management forces continue the rescue operation in Uttrakhand’s Uttarkashi.
Today, 65 people who were trapped near Uttarkashi were brought to the Matli helipad by helicopter.
Buses were arranged to transport them to their destinations. On August 6, around 190 people were rescued from Dharali town. Rescue teams also recovered two bodies from the site on Wednesday, reported PTI.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Uttarkashi on August 6 to monitor the operations. He interacted with the rescue team and with some of the rescued individuals, who included pilgrims.
Authorities have prioritised the safe evacuation of stranded pilgrims from Gangotri Dham. Jalgaon Collector Ayush Prasad told PTI that 16 people from Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district remain untraceable.
While there is no official count of the missing, locals have claimed hundreds could be buried under the debris.
The missing may include locals, tourists, and labourers from hotel construction sites. Eleven Army personnel from a camp in Harsil are also among the missing.
According to reports, the Badrinath National Highway has been blocked due to debris falling from a hillside near Pipalkoti. Landslides have also blocked roads leading to Dharali, where homes and cars were swept away.
The rescue operation involves the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and police.
SDRF IG Arun Mohan Joshi said that the priority is to airlift advanced equipment to the location to search through mounds of debris that are 50 to 60 feet high. He stated there could be 300-400 pilgrims stranded at different locations due to blocked roads.
Officials said ground-penetrating radars and sniffer dogs are likely to be used to find the missing, quoted PTI.
