India: Uttarakhand floods kill 800, rescue conditions worsen

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Recent severe floods in northern India have claimed at least 800 lives while efforts to rescue thousands of stranded survivors have been made increasingly difficult because of the ongoing bad weather.

Officials have said that helicopters heading to collect 5,000 pilgrims stuck in the town of Badrinath were grounded and that the survivors there are running out of time.

It has also been reported that one rescue helicopter carrying eight people has crashed during a medical mission, killing all those on board. The Indian Air force helicopter was carrying five soldiers and three civilians.

Air Commodore Rajesh Issar, head of Operation Relief told the BBC, “I just need two to three days of good weather and I can get everyone out.”

Although the official death toll now stands at around 800, the final number is expected to rise as communities are still left stranded. The home minister said on Monday that the number was closer to 1000, while Spanish news agency EFE has reported it could be as high as 10,000 people. Tourists are also believed to have been caught up in the disaster.

It is believed that some 90,000 people have been rescued by a 10,000-strong armed forces team.

In the same region mass cremations were postponed because of the persistent rain and local officials are beginning to worry about disease outbreak. DNA samples, belongings and photographs are being retrieved so that families can be informed.

People normally leave the area, on the edge of the Himalayas, in early July just before the rains arrive. This year’s sudden downpour meant tens of thousands were trapped as bridges and roads were washed away.

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