About 200 of 1,200 from Karnataka stranded in Uttarakhand rescued

About 200 of the over 1,200 people from Karnataka stranded in Uttarakhand following rain havoc have so far been rescued, the state government said Thursday.

The rescued people would be brought to safe places by late Thursday for their onward journey to New Delhi and then to Karnataka, said a statement, released in New Delhi.

The Karnataka Bhavan, the state government house in New Delhi, has made arrangements to provide food and accommodation to the rescued, it said.

In Bangalore, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said about 1,200 people from Karnataka had got stranded in Uttarakhand with around 760 in Kedarnath, about 340 in Badrinath and the rest in other places.

He announced that the state government was immediately releasing Rs. 50 lakh to arrange for food and travel to the stranded.

The state government would also give Rs.5 crore to Uttarakhand government.

The state team which has been in Dehradun for the last two days is headed by state Social Welfare Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh.

The statement quoted Singh as saying the team's information was around 4,000 people, including about 150 from Karnataka, were stranded in Gaurikhund alone.