India flood rescue continues despite bad weather, chopper crash

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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A rescue helicopter crashed in bad weather, killing 8 people, including 5 air force personnel and 3 civilians, the Defence Ministry said

DISASTER ZONE. A photograph made available on 25 June 2013 showing a general view of the Kedarnath Veally in Uttrakhand after the flash flood on 22 June 2013. EPA/STR

NEW DELHI, India – Bad weather on Tuesday, June 25, hampered operations in India to rescue thousands of people stranded after flash-floods in the northern state of Uttarakhand.

Flash floods and landslides brought on by heavy monsoon rains in mid-June destroyed houses, roads and bridges, and left more than 800 dead, including many Hindu pilgrims who were visiting shrines in the mountainous, Himalayan state.

A rescue helicopter crashed in bad weather, killing 8 people, including 5 air force personnel and 3 civilians, the Defence Ministry said. Local media cited unnamed officials as saying 19 were killed.

Indian Air Force helicopters have been airlifting people stranded in remote areas to safety. Their efforts are focused on rescuing some 6,000 people stranded near the Badrinath shrine.

A total of 99,000 people have been rescued in land and aerial evacuations involving 10,000 troops and 60 helicopters.

Rain is expected until Thursday, June 27, in Uttarakhand.

An official at the state disaster management unit said Badrinath was among the last areas where people were still stranded. They were in no immediate danger as they were in relief camps with access to food and water, he said.

Mass cremations for those killed in the worst-hit areas around the temple town of Kedarnath were due to begin Wednesday, broadcaster NDTV reported.

Bodies were piled up near the Kedarnath shrine. Some were decomposing, raising fear of disease. The victims were being identified.

Federal Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the death toll was likely to cross 1,000. – Rappler.com

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