The death toll is likely to cross 5,000 in the Uttarkhand disaster especially in Kedarnath valley. Scores of dead bodies lay strewn in Kedarnath area. And the historic and ancient temple complex has become a venue of human tragedy .
The Uttarakhand government has said late in night at least 5,000 people must have perished in the worst ever deluge to have struck the hill state.
A joint combing operation by the security forces will be launched in Kedarnath valley tomorrow morning to ensure not a single survivor remains stuck in Rudraparayag district. 19,000 stranded people are still stuck in three areas including Badrinath. Air operations had to be also briefly suspended due to bad weather. The ITBP jawans also began constructing foot tracks to speed up evacuation work, offering a “silver lining” for the stranded people. Another squardonof helicopters pressed into service in Char dham belt .
Kedarnath Valley, the temple town which was the epicenter of the Uttarakhand rain fury, was today cleared of all stranded pilgrims, as rescuers battled rains to evacuate 3,000 more people.
