Uttarakhand floods: Helicopter operations halted due to bad weather, thousands ... - Zee News

Zee Media Bureau Dehradun: Even as thousand are still stranded in various parts of Uttarakhand which has been ravaged by floods, rescue operations were hit on Sunday due to bad weather. Helicopter operations were suspended over Kedarnath, Badrinath, Dehradun and Rishikesh due to intermittent rains. Heavy rainfall has been in reported Kedarnath and Rudraprayag. There were also threats of fresh landslide in Sonprayag. The Metrological department has predicted heavy rains from June 25 onwards. As per estimates around 70,000 stranded people have been brought to safety in the ongoing multi-agency operations. However, more than 22,000 people are still to be evacuated, according to information given by the Centre and the state government. "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. Army officials 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. World's biggest Russian-made MI-26 helicopters that can carry about 150 passengers were pressed into service on Saturday. Information and Broadcating Minister Manish Tewari told reporters in Delhi that while the Army and ITBP rescued 4,000 people each, Air Force chipped in to move the rest. For Zee News's Updates, follow us on Twitter , Facebook, Google+, Pinterest First Published: Sunday, June 23, 2013, 09:00 via Top Stories - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFn1PByXvGjS0LLsuayUmRiqATdrw&url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/uttarakhand-floods-helicopter-operations-halted-due-to-bad-weather-thousands-still-stranded_857037.html

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