Dehradun: 9:47 pm: Uttarakhand government sources say around 7,000 people are still trapped in Badrinath. The sources added that around 3,000 were feared to be trapped near Ghangaria.
7:10 pm: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh issues an appeal on Uttarakhand floods. "I request all citizens of India to stand with our distressed fellow countrymen," he says in the appeal.
6:50 pm: Cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who was stranded in Hemkund Saheb, thanks god and says he is lucky to be back home. Harbhajan also praises the Army and the ITBP personnel for the rescue work they are carrying out in Uttarakhand. He says he will again go to Hemkund Saheb to seek blessings.
6:45 pm: On being asked about the preparations that the ITBP can make in the future, Chadha says, "Any kind of manpower is not enough for a damage with such high magnitude".
6:40 pm: The ITBP chief says choppers are making repeated sorties and he is hopeful that all stranded people in flood-affected areas will be rescued.
6:30 pm: "Road communication may take sometime as roads have been completely washed away," he says as he adds that the state government will be transshipping fuel for the rescue and other vehicles.
6:25 pm: Chadha also says that it cannot be ruled out that many people could have been washed away in the floods.
6:22 pm: All survivors in Kedarnath have been rescued but we still need to bring out bodies, says Chadha as he declines to give an exact estimate of casualties.
6:20 pm: "Our biggest challenge is to save as many lives as possible," he says.
6:18 pm: ITBP chief Ajay Chadha, while speaking to IBN18 Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai says his team is trying its best to rescue people.
5:21 pm: Bahuguna also appealed to locals not to charge people heavily for the food or transport they are providing to flood victims and stranded tourists.
5:19 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna asks people not to panic, says rescue teams are working.
4:31 pm: The NDRF says that people, who were rescued from Kedarnath, are being brought to Gaurikund.
4:25 pm: "All trapped in Kedarnath have been rescued. A few people, however, are still stuck in the higher regions," says the ITBP chief.
4:19 pm: "ITBP has also sent an additional medical team from Delhi," says Chadha.
4:18 pm: "Over 1000 ITBP personnel engaged in rescue work," he says.
4:17 pm: "Three battalions of ITBP have been deployed in rescue work," says ITBP DG Ajay Chadha.
3:41 pm: The Bihar government has sent Rs 5 crore for Uttarakhand disaster relief.
2:28 pm: The Supreme Court has directed the Uttarakhand government to file an action taken report on the relief operations being carried out in the state. The apex court has directed the Centre and Uttarakhand government to make an all-out effort to rescue people stranded in the state due to flash floods.
The court has directed the Uttarakhand government to provide immediate relief by the way of providing food, medicine water and fuel to those people stranded in affected areas. It has also directed the Centre to deploy sufficient number of helicopters for dropping food supply and airlifting affected people to safer places.
1:11 pm: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was heckled by people in Joshimath. He faced strong protests from locals in Joshimath where he had gone to oversee rescue and relief operations. Locals shouted slogans against the CM and said they have virtually got no relief from the government. Bahuguna assured them help and left in his helicopter.
12:50 pm: The Army plans to deploy a force of 100 paratroopers split into small teams on the Gaurikund-Sonprayag road. Temporary helipads to be set up as well.
12:35 pm: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discusses the situation in Uttarakhand at the Cabinet meeting.
12:05 pm: The Uttarakhand Met department has predicted more rainfall from June 23 and says bad weather and cloudy sky is likely to affect rescue operations. "The sky will remain cloudy after June 22 and there is possibility of light to moderate rainfall between June 23 and to June 25. This may hamper rescue operations," the Uttarakhand Met department said.
11:17 am: ITBP DG Ajay Chaddha has said that Kedarnath has been totally cut-off due to floods and landslides and can only be reached by air. Bad weather is also causing problems in the rescue operation," he said.
11:08 am: There have been a fresh landslide in Almora. Entire roads have caved in and several others have been washed away. Repair work is underway and authorities are attempting to clear the rubble.
10:26 am: The India Air Force resumes rescue operations in Uttarakhand.
10:18 am: Rudraprayag SP Nilesh Anand Bharne said that over 1,000 people have been brought to Guptkashi from Kedarnath and hopefully the rest will be rescued from Kedarnath soon.
9:41 am: The IAF officials say the narrow valley between Kedarnath and Guptkashi is the worst affected by the floods. The officials add the choppers are unable to navigate through narrow areas in Kedarnath and critical evacuations from Kedarnath area will be done by Friday.
9:36 am: Thousands still stranded at Kedarnath, rescue of another 500 expected on Thursday, say IAF officials.
9:21 am: The road to Uttarkashi has reopened and thousands of tourists who were stranded are now on their way out.
9:13 am: 100 paratroopers have slithered down to Gaurikund where many pilgrims are stranded.
8:48 am: Rescue operations through aircraft from the Jolly Grant airport near Dehradun have been suspended for now due to bad weather. The rescue teams are trying to send a batch of 100 armed forces specialised medical personnel to forward areas - the stretch from Rudraprayag to Kedarnath.
The death toll in the Uttarakhand floods has risen to 150 and is set to rise as rescue teams reach more devastated sites. Over 60,000 people remain stranded with food and medical supplies running low. Rescue teams reach have reached the Kedarnath temple, the site of the biggest devastation sending out pictures of the sheer scale of destruction.
The shrine is still intact but the shops and dharamshalas around the temple are badly damaged. Security forces rescued hundreds from Kedarnath on Wednesday but there is still no clarity on the final death toll there.
Rescue sorties continued through the day on Wednesday to evacuate all the pilgrims from Kedarnath. Many of the pilgrims have spent the past five days trying to save themselves and their loved ones. The centuries old holy town is now covered in debris.
Over 5,000 people are also stranded in Gaurikund. As a precaution the central government has cancelled batches for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, after authorities declared the roads and trekking routes unsafe.
In Haridwar, NDRF teams have their hands full, with roadblocks and landslides hampering rescue operations at every turn.
As resue operations continue, so does the desperate search for loved ones. There is no centralised list of missing people and relatives carrying photographs of their loved ones are asking whoever they meeet for help.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi did an aerial survey of Uttarakhand on Wednesday with the PM also announcing Rs 1,000 crore for relief of which Rs 145 crore is being released immediately.
The Prime Minister said it is feared that the loss of lives could eventually be much higher. "So far, more than 10,000 people have been rescued and are being provided food, clothing and shelter. Many persons still remain stranded. The maximum damage has been in Kedarnath and its vicinity," he said.
"Very heavy casualties are feared and I cannot give the exact number without a proper survey," said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna who described the flood ravage as unprecedented caused by a "Himalayan tsunami". Bahuguna, who described the scale of the devastation as unimaginable, said it would take one year for normal yatra to Kedarnath to be restored.
The first priority is to rescue the stranded people especially those on pilgrimage from various parts of the country, distribution of medicines and rehabilitation and compensation for the affected, he said. Uttarakhand Principal Secretary (Home) Om Prakash said the death toll in the state has gone up to 150 but was not in a position to give the exact estimate since several villages in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts in the upper reaches were still under water.
The state and Central governments have deployed all possible resources to deal with the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. About 5,500 jawans and officers of the army, 3,000 men of the Border Roads Organisation and 600 ITBP personnel are engaged in relief and rescue efforts. Thirteen teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been put into work. The Air Force has deployed 18 helicopters and C130 aircraft. Private helicopters are also being engaged by the state government.
Helpline numbers:
Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161
Chamoli: 01372-251437
Tehri: 01376-233433
Rudraprayag: 01732-1077
The ITBP helpline and control room numbers: 011-24362892, 9968383478
Army medical emergency helpline numbers: 18001805558, 18004190282, 8009833388
Uttarakhand Helpline numbers: 0135-2710334, 2710335, 2710233
(With additional information from PTI) ####[View the story ”Uttarakhand floods: These people are missing. Can you help?” on Storify]
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