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This article was first published 11 years ago

More than 11,000 missing in Uttarakhand after floods, says UN

Last updated on: July 02, 2013 12:14 IST

Image: An army officer addresses the concerns of a survivor rescued in Uttarakhand
Photographs: Indian Army

A total of 1,350 people have been evacuated from Badrinath while over 3,500 remain untraced in flood-hit Uttarakhand, claimed the National Disaster Management Authority even as a United Nations agency estimated that the number of missing could be over 11,000.

"According to data available till Sunday, 1,350 have been evacuated from Badrinath-800 by air and 550 by road. But there are some locals too like shopkeepers and ashram dwellers who also are being evacuated," NDMA Vice Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy told reporters in Delhi.

The number of dead stands at 580 while the National Disaster Response Force has rescued 8,634 people from Kedarnath taking the overall evacuation to 1,08,253 people, he said.

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More than 11,000 missing in Uttarakhand after floods, says UN

Image: Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel search for flood victims in a damaged house in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
Photographs: ITBP/Reuters

“According to the quantum of FIRs filed, the number of missing stands at 3,500-3,700 but a report prepared by a UN agency along with some NGO pegs the figure in excess of 11 thousand," Reddy said on Monday. He added that the maximum deaths have reportedly occurred in the Kedarnath and Rambada areas while the number of injured registered so far has risen to 3,119.

"Though the excavators which were supposed to be airlifted in special Mi-26 helicopters on Sunday could not be taken due to bad weather, about 385 heavy machines and bulldozers are locally in operation cutting through the debris," Reddy said.

However one "heavy team" with all equipment to assist the state administration are in Guptkashi from where "they will be airlifted to Kedarnath" to search for dead bodies near the shrine.


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More than 11,000 missing in Uttarakhand after floods, says UN

Image: Soldiers conduct a rescue operation in Uttarakhand
Photographs: Indian Army

Another team is in Joshimath from where they will proceed to Badrinath.

With various state agencies at work in Uttarakhand, he said, "He had heard that different information was being disseminated from time to time leading to contradictory figures" and this should be looked into. He said the total number of affected villages has risen from 2,000 to above 4,000.

"The number of villages affected is 4200 from 2,375 mark two days ago. While 2,865 have their road connection restored, 1,335 still await connectivity. About 737 are still not ready for traffic," he said.

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