'Only Kedarnath shrine intact, destruction all around'

Only the sanctum sanctorum of the revered Kedarnath shrine with the Shivling in it is intact, and all around the temple is a sight of destruction, with bodies scattered, following a cloudburst, an Uttarakhand minister said Friday.

Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat told reporters his chopper landed at Kedarnath with "great difficulty".

"Though the Shivling is intact, there is destruction all around, with bodies scattered all around. It is a very heart rending situation," he said.

The administration has been trying to land choppers at a Bhaironnath temple a little away.

"There are around 250 people there," the minister said.

"There are around 8,000-,10,000 people stuck in Gaurikund. We have made arrangements to bring down the elderly and the sick. The army and ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) are trying to bring down the rest by holding ropes," he added.

He said 2,000 people have been brought down by the ITBP and army Friday.

In Rambada, near Kedarnath, which has been completely devastated, he said the authorities have made a helipad where small choppers can land.

"The army choppers are not able to land there," he added.

Rawat said there were many small destroyed hamlets in the hills where people are stranded. The people are being provided food packets and rescue teams are going to the areas to bring down the people, he said.

"It will take us at least five years to recover from the extensive damages caused to the entire infrastructure network in the Kedarnath area, which is the worst affected".

According to officials, around 207 people have been killed and around 50,000 are stranded in the hill state, mostly in the temple town of Kedarnath, which was hit by torrential rains that set off flash floods and cloud bursts over the weekend.