Hundreds dead, 50 thousands still stranded from floods in northern India

作者: The AsiaN Editor on 21 June , 2013.
类别: All, Asia, Multimedia, News, Photo, Society, South Asia

A flood hit couple consoles his reach other after being evacuated by helicopter from upper reaches of Uttrakhand, in Dehradun, India, Thursday, June 20, 2013. Days after floods killed more than 100 people and rescuers used helicopters and climbed through mountain paths to reach nearly 4,000 people trapped by landslides in a narrow valley near a Hindu shrine in the northern Himalayas, officials said Thursday. (Photo : AP Photo)

Indian government Thursday intensified rescue and relief operations in the northern state of Uttarakhand, where hundreds are believed to have been killed by a massive flooding caused by an early monsoon, said government officials.

Hundreds of pilgrims were evacuated by choppers from a 1,000- year-old old Hindu holy site, the Kedarnath town.

A man sits in a flooded park near the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, June 20, 2013. The Indian capital has been put on flood alert after its main Yamuna river breached the danger mark following incessant rainfall since June 16. So far, more than 150 people have died in Uttarakhand floods, while thousands have been displaced and stranded, according to reports. (Photo : Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The government has dispatched over 20 choppers to pick up stranded people.

At least 50,000 people were still stranded in various parts of the state that was hit by cloudburst and floods in the upper reaches which left several hundreds of homes, rest houses and buildings in ruins and thousands of people missing, said Press Trust of India.

A slum is submerged in floodwaters of the Yamuna River in New Delhi, India, June 20, 2013. (Photo : Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

While official counts of toll stood at around 150, the state’s chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said the casualties could run into several hundreds.

Bit government officials feared the causalities could run into thousands as about 90 Hindu resting places for pilgrims were swept away by flash floods over the past week.