Army will counter Uttarakhand flash flood situation': Lt. Gen. Anil Chait

Central Army Commander Lieutenant General Anil Chait assured that army personnel would use all resources, skill and leadership to save and evacuate people stranded in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

" We have special troops so things are under control. Also making sure to see that work that is happening in Uttar Pradesh is not affected. We have adequate resources, leadership and the skill to counter such situations. We have also re-deployed troops in the areas which have been worse hit to counter any further issues or misshapenness," said Lt. Gen. Chait.

"Uttarakhand is big no doubt. We have more than 8,500 personnel marshalling the rescue operation in that area. Another special force will be deployed in the area, so that the effectiveness and speed of work increases," he added.

Lt. Gen. Chait further said, " Since yesterday, the jawans have helped 728 stranded people talk to their family members and have extended help to about 1,000 people in Mangal Patti area from where the process to shift people to Gauri Kund has started. The GOC-in-chief assured that the force would not disappoint the people and every located human life would be saved."

He said that in Pindari Glacier area, a group of 45 children have been saved while efforts are on to locate another group.

Some people stranded on the bridge on the Alaknanda on the road from Badrinath to Joshimath and Rudraprayag have been saved, Lt. Gen. Chaith said, adding that those left in Gadariya and Govindham would also be saved by tonight.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said that close to 30,000 people have been rescued so far from different parts of Uttarakhand, while over 40,000 people are still stranded.

Shinde, who took stock of the rescue and relief operations in the flash flood hit areas of the hill state, said the evacuations will be completed in one or two days if the rescue operations continue in the same manner.

"Despite bad weather, the Army, NDRF and ITBP are landing and conducting rescue operations. Operations are underway on a war footing," he said, while emphasizing that the men in uniform are trying their best to evacuate those stranded.

The Home Minister said the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has been ordered to build access roads so that the stranded people can be reached.

Shinde said the identification of dead bodies has begun.

He, however, said that some of the bodies recovered were not identifiable.

" DNA tests of decomposed bodies will also be undertaken," said Shinde.

Shinde further informed that the government has appointed former Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal as a nodal officer to oversee the relief and rescue operations.

He informed that 550 deaths had occurred till yesterday.