Himalayan flood toll may be in the thousands, suspect rescuers

As search and rescue operations continued in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand that was devastated by unprecedented floods and resultant landslides, a report says that authorities fear thousands of pilgrims staying in 90 rest houses in the state may have been simply washed away.

Even though the official death toll remains pegged at 150, a report on official broadcaster Doordarshan's website said that the Uttarakhand State Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre has told the union home ministry in a report that casualties in the affected areas may run into thousands, with about 90 'dharamashalas' (rest houses for pilgrims) swept away in the flash floods.

Scores of villages have also gone underwater and vanished without a trace.

With the weather clearing up, the focus was on rescue operations both in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, where two IAF and one state-hired helicopter was making sorties to rescue 600 stranded tourists.

In Uttarakhand, over 15,000 people stranded in the pilgrimage destination of Kedarnath and Govindghat on way to the way to the Sikh shrine Hemkund Sahib have been evacuated so far to relief camps in Joshimath by air and road, Inspector General of Police R S Meena said.

"Apart from the 12 helicopters already engaged in rescue operations in affected areas, eight more have been roped in for the purpose to step up the process," Meena said.

Rescue efforts are being concentrated as of now on Kedarnath shrine and its adjoining areas in Rudraprayag district which has been the worst hit.

Rescue efforts also picked up in rain-battered tribal Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with two IAF and one state chopper making sorties to rescue 600 tourists and others stranded in remote areas.