Relief, rescue ops underway in Uttarakhand, over 57 thousand people affected by floods in Assam

Relief and rescue operations continued in the disaster affected villages of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, where NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, Army and the state police are working round the clock looking for any traces of life trapped under the debris.

So far, 15 bodies have been recovered from the debris, while 12 persons are still missing.

The death toll in Pithoragarh and Chamoli has gone up to 18.

Meanwhile, Major rivers in the State which were in spate earlier have now started receding.

With the clearing of landslides on Gangotri and Yamunotri national highways in Uttarkashi, vehicular traffic to both the shrines has been resumed.

Yatra on the Kedarnath route was already going on uninterrupted and now, continued efforts are being made to open the Badrinath national highway which was blocked at some places in Chamoli district since last three days.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that the yatris to the Chardhams are not stranded on the route.

Meanwhile in Assam, more than 57 thousand people have been affected in floods in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Sonitpur districts.

Nearly 100 villages have been inundated. Flood water also submerged 1 thousand 500 hectares of crop land. Apart from flood, erosion also took serious turn in many districts.

One relief camp has been set up in Sonitpur and two relief materials distribution camps were also started in Lakhimpur.