Dehradun: 5:57 pm: Army PRO says two administrative and logistic staging areas have been set up at Sukhi and Gangnani to help people travelling by road.
Update on IAF rescue operations on June 23: 45 helicopters of the IAF heli-lifted over 3200 pilgrims in 250 sorties.
Update on IAF rescue operations since June 17: IAF has flown 1158 sorties, evacuated 9228 stranded people, and has dropped 1,50,000 kgs of relief material so far.
5:57 pm: Uttarakhand government updates on rescue operations in the state. It says while 450 people have been rescued from Harsil, 1500 still remain stranded there and 5000 are still stuck in Badrinath. Uttarakhand Chief Secretary adds last rites of all the bodies found in Kedarnath will be performed there itself. DNA samples and photographs will be taken before the last rites, he adds.
4:57 pm: "Heavy rains in foothills of Uttarakhand expected tomorrow," Regional Director Met Department, Uttarakhand tells CNN-IBN. "The rainfall could trigger fresh landslides at some places as land mass has already loosened. But there's no fear of cloud burst now," Met further says.
4:40 pm: IAF, till 3 pm on Sunday, has flown 180 sorties, airlifted 2094 people, and has dropped 20000 kg of equipment and relief material.
3:35 pm: Army evacuates all tourists stranded at Jungle Chatti, search operations in progress.
3:01 pm: Over 80,000 people have been rescued across Uttarakhand. The MeT department has predicted more rainfall in the next 24 hours.
2:50 pm: Over 200 people evacuated from Harsil, Maneri and Uttarkashi axis.
1:04 pm: Army has resumed air sorties after a brief halt due to bad weather conditions and heavy rainfall in Harsil, Dharasu sectors. The Army also continues ground rescue operations on a war footing from Jungle Chetti to Yamunotri. About 22,000 people still stranded across the flood-ravaged state.
12:36 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee to donate one month's salary (Rs 1.5 lakh) for Uttarakhand's flood victims.
11:55 am: Indo Tibetan Border Police chief Ajay Chadha says air sorties have been suspended but relief work on ground continues. "Air sorties have been suspended. Ground relief is on. Not much rain, but the low clouds are causing problem. We are making attempts to fly. Around 60-70 people are still left in Kedarnath. 600-700 are left in Jungle Chatti. Some are at Bhairon Chatti. Food packets are being dropped there. An NDRF team is making a helipad there. The moment it is ready and the clouds clear up, air rescue will start. ITBP team has re-established the road route. Can be used for on-foot rescue. The team has brought 2,500 people till Hanuman Chatti today. From Hanuman Chatti they will have to walk 10 kilometres till Gobind Ghat. From Gobind Ghat they will be transported on vehicles to Joshimath. Air-turbine fuel is being shared with the IAF. MHA has distributed 25 satellite phones. 50 more are being distributed," says Chadha.
11:11 am: Army Central Command Brigadier Uma Maheshwar says ground operations continue on war footing. He also advises people not to panic. "Army operations not suspended. Rainfall has not affected army operations. At Jungle Chatti air operations have been suspended due to weather. Ground relief by Army is on from Jangal Chatti to Gaurikund. 700 people stranded between Hanuman Chatti and Jungle Chatti found. Will establish contact with people at by afternoon. 2000 people waiting for evacuation in Harshil," he says.
10:02 am: All children have been evacuated by the Army from Pindari Glacier.
9:51 am: Army officials say 390 people were evacuated by air in Kedarnath on Saturday, 500 more awaiting evacuation. Meanwhile, the IAF has also rescued 205 pilgrims on Sunday.
9:47 am: Jungle Chatti air operations suspended due to bad weather, however, ground rescue continues.
9:43 am: In Gangotri- Harsil Axis, 2000 people are awaiting evacuation.
9:26 am: Relief operations in Harsil, near Gangotri, are on.
9:17 am: IAF Spokesperson Squadron leader Priya Joshi says three Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules will be committed to rescue work on Sunday. "One C130J was airborne early morning for a recce mission and two other are planned to carry fuel and IAF's Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT) and Equipment to set up a mini hospital in the affected area for urgent medical attention and treatment. The aircraft would also bring back more stranded pilgrims to Hindon. Brought back 215 until yesterday," says Joshi.
9:05 am: A MeT Department official says low clouds will hit flying operations. " We are expecting light to moderate rain and the two days between June 24-26 are crucial. Low clouds might affect flying but we are hoping for some improvement," says the official.
8:50 am Heavy rainfall in Kedarnath and Rudraprayag. However, road route to Rudraprayag has been opened.
8:35 am: Helicopter operations have been suspended due to bad weather in Sonprayag area.
8:28 am: Rescue work at ground moving slowly due to rain and threat of fresh landslides looms large.
The death toll in Uttarakhand floods has reached 1000 and continues to rise. It is a race against time now to save thousands who are still stranded in the valley before the heavy rains that are expected in less than 24 hours.
The patience is also running short for thousands of pilgrims who are stranded in Badrinath. They are demanding more helicopters to airlift them to safer areas. The rescue teams are working against the clock to evacuate stranded pilgrims from the higher reaches.
The massive rescue operations are still on in Uttarakhand a week after the floods where 73,000 people have been evacuated so far from various parts of the flood-hit state.
The weather situation looks grim with the MeT department predicting rainfall within the next 24 hours. The Army is focusing on rescuing an estimated 22,000 people who are stuck in the flood-hit state before the rains set in.
One of the most difficult operations of the the Indian Army is on in an isolated area called Jungle Chatti between Rambara and Gaurikund. Almost half of the 1000 people stranded there have been airlifted so far. The area is surrounded by hills with steep 90 degree inclines. More than 400 people have been so far airlifted from there and brought to safety to Gaurikhund.
The rescue work is also underway in Sonprayag - the highest area acessible to civilians where the Army has built a temporary bridge to move hundreds out.
Meanwhile, 3,000 people who were stranded at Ghagariya have been evacuated. A bridge at Lambarga on the Badrinath-Joshimath axis has been opened for people's movement. Evacuation by foot is likey to start soon.
Uttarakahnd Chief Secretary said that around 1,200 people have left Joshimath by road. In a major relief to the stranded thousands, mobile networks and ATMs have started functioning again.
Save the Children contact details:
Landline: +91 11 4229 4900 | Fax: +91 11 4229 4990 | Cell phone : +91 9987441133####[View the story ”Uttarakhand floods: These people are missing. Can you help?” on Storify]
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