Over 5,000 died in Uttarakhand floods: ActionAid

More than 5,000 people perished in last month's landslides and flash floods in Uttarakhand, NGO ActionAid Tuesday said.

The NGO, which is carrying out relief operations in the state, added that estimating the number of dead was difficult.

"Tourists, migrant labourers and others had not registered on government lists, so they cannot be counted. Every time a place is cleared of debris, more bodies are found," said Barkha Chakrabarty, programme officer with ActionAid.

She said relief operations that had been severely hampered due to excessive rains were slowly picking up.

The organisation said it was trying to procure ration from local shops as food was rotting in some places.

"We will try to reach Joshimath with more relief Wednesday," Chakrabarty said.

--Indo-Asian New Service

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