5000 may get killed in Uttarakhand floods , says Govt

Kedarnath Valley, the temple town which was the epicentre of the floods and landslides, was also cleared of all stranded pilgrims in stepped up rescue operations amid intermittent rains which led to evacuation of 12,000 pilgrims and tourists.

With MeT department warning of adverse weather in the region from tomorrow, the multi-agency operations involving Army, IAF, ITBP and NDRF among others raced against time to try to rescue remaining 10,000 stranded people stuck in three
areas including Badrinath. Air operations had to be also briefly suspended due to bad weather.
"At least 5,000 people must have been killed in the deluge that inflicted heavy damage on vast tracts of land especially in Kedarnath valley," Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya told reporters at Jolly Grant airport on his return from an aerial survey of affected areas. The official death toll as of yesterday was put at 680 while Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the death toll is likely to be around 1,000.
However, Arya did not give a specific figure saying extrication of bodies from under tonnes of debris in affected areas which is yet to be taken up may take some time.
So far, over 80,000 people have been evacuated, including 12,000 today, to safer areas in the rain-ravaged state with some 10,000 people still stranded in various places, DG, Press Information Bureau Neelam Kapur said in Delhi.
A Defence Ministry release said 45 choppers airlifted more than 3,200 people in 250 sorties in the IAF operations.
The NDRF also deployed its Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) 'Netra' to help locate survivors in various areas. NDRF DIG S S Guleria said the UAV will operate tomorrow as well to ensure all survivors are located and eventually evacuated.