Rescuers recovered scores of bodies from the Ganges river in northern India Friday, as the death toll from flash floods and landslides neared 600, with thousands of mainly pilgrims and tourists still stranded or missing. Dozens of helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to rescue more than 35,000 trapped people, the home ministry said, almost one week after floods and landslides from torrential monsoon rains struck the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
Raging rivers have swept away houses, buildings and entire villages, and destroyed bridges and narrow roads leading to pilgrimage towns in the mountainous state, which is known as the "Land of the Gods" for its revered Hindu shrines. "556 bodies have been noticed by the army... either floating or buried in slush," Vijay Bahuguna, state chief minister told local TV channel CNN-IBN on Friday evening.
Scores of bodies were recovered from the Ganges river earlier Friday, with the death toll expected to rise further as flood waters recede to reveal the extent of the devastation, and rescue workers reach more isolated areas. "This kind of disaster has never happened in Himalayan history," Bahuguna said.
He attacked the India Meterological Department (IMD) for not issuing adequate warning ahead of the heavy rains, which struck earlier than expected, saying the local government was unable to prepare for the deluge and evacuate people on time. "The IMD warning was not clear enough," he said, adding that it would take another 15 days to evacuate all the tourists.
Anxious relatives waited at state capital Dehradun, where military helicopters and other aircraft were assisting with rescue efforts. Neelam Rana, a 27-year-old mother of two, who was rescued with her family on Friday after waiting nearly a week for help said she was "overwhelmed" to finally leave.
"We suffered a lot. Our food ran out, I don't know how we survived," she told AFP, as she prepared to leave with her husband and children, aged two and five. Distraught relatives clutching photographs of missing family members were waiting outside Dehradun airport for news.
The military operation, involving some 43 helicopters and more than 10,000 soldiers, was focussed on reaching those stranded in the holy town of Badrinath after earlier finding widespread devastation in the Kedarnath temple area. Home ministry spokesman, Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia told AFP late Friday: "Our soldiers have rescued more than 50,000 people, including around 16,000 people who were evacuated today."
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