Dehradun/New Delhi: 6:52 pm: Bahuguna also says that it will take a long time to rebuild the state as it has suffered a major damage. "No Kedarnath Yatra for at least next two years," he adds.
6:41 pm: The Chief Minister says that it will take another 15 days to complete evacuation as roads have been damaged.
6:40 pm: Bahuguna says that till now 556 bodies have been recovered and about 30,000 have been rescued. He also adds he cannot confirm the death toll as many bodies are feared to be buried under the debris. "Those who are stuck in certain areas in Uttarakhand, there is no threat to their lives: Bahuguna," he says.
6:39 pm: "We were very close to put up a Doppler radar but there were certain concerns by various ministries," he tells CNN-IBN.
6:38 pm: He also refutes report that his government had prior warnings about the flood and cloud burst. "We were not warned about any cloud burst," he says.
6:37 pm: The Chief Minister denies that his government did not act promptly and says "the magnitude of the calamity is so huge that not even the Government of India has a force which can handle such a situation".
6:36 pm: Bahuguna also admits that to some extend there is a lack of personnel in the state.
6:35 pm: The Chief Minister admits that Uttarakhand does not meet the norms of National Disaster Management. "Our jawans and officers are being trained," he says.
6:34 pm: Bahuguna says it is likely that the state Uttarakhand disaster management board had not met.
6:33 pm: No authority or body could have handled the calamity of this scale and magnitude," he says.
6:32 pm: "This kind of disaster has never happened in the Himalayan history," says Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. He was speaking to CNN-IBN's Karan Thapar on Devil's Advocate.
4:50 pm: Private chopper deployed for rescue operation crashes in Kedarnath. The pilot of the chopper is safe and there have been no casualties in the incident as no passengers were on board the aircraft. The pilot was reportedly winched by the IAF Cheetah in the vicinity.
4:32 pm: The ITBP DG refuses to confirm the death toll saying reports are coming from all areas so "we are not able to presume the exact number of deaths".
4:30 pm: Chadha says he is hopeful that all the stranded pilgrims will be rescued by Saturday.
4:28 pm: The ITBP chief also says that there is perfect co-ordination on the ground.
4:26 pm: Almost all the people have been rescued from Kedarnath but we'll remain there till we're sure no one is left stranded, he says.
4:24 pm: Chadha says he is hopeful that almost all the stranded pilgrims will be rescued in one or two days.
4:22 pm: We are passing on all the information to the Uttarakhand government, says the ITBP chief.
4:20 pm: Roads and bridges are being made to connect areas which are cut away, he adds.
4:15 pm: We are also trying to establish bridge connectivity to Badrinath, says Chadha.
4:14 pm: By Saturday, pilgrims from Pandukeshwar will also be evacuated, he says.
4:12 pm: Apart from pilgrims we have also rescued local residents in Uttarakhand, says ITBP DG Ajay Chadha.
3:29 pm: Army relief camps have been established at Harsil, Joshimath, Rudraprayag and Gaucher.
2:48 pm: The government has released an amount of Rs 145 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund. Briefing the media on the relief operations, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, "The IAF has committed 13 more aircraft. The total number of aircraft pressed into service now is 43. The is IAF also activating landing grounds at two more places."
He also said the Railways have started running special trains from Haridwar to carry stranded passengers free of cost.
"33,192 pilgrims are rescued and moved to a safer place. Search, rescue and relief operations are being carried out by Army, IAF, Private helicopters, SSB, Indo-Tibetan border Police," he said.
2:05 pm: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde says the death toll across Uttarakhand has gone up to 207 and is likely to rise further. He said while 34,000 people have been rescued, 50,000 people are still stranded.
He also said there have been problems in co-ordination. "We could see a problem in co-ordination. We've appointed VK Duggal as the nodal officer. He will be in Dehradun from tomorrow and will coordinate with all the agencies and governments.
1:57 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has asked all MPs and MLAs to contribute their one month salary for Uttarakhand relief.
1:25 pm: Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will visit Uttarakhand on Saturday, said NDMA Vice-President MS Reddy.
1:02 pm: The NDMA says there has been no delay in response by its teams in the Uttarakhand rescue operations.
11:26 am: There has been massive destruction in Uttarakhand due to flash floods and landslides. Sources in the Uttarakhand government say close to 1,100 small and big roads in the state have been damaged and at places, roads have completely been washed away. Sources also say 94 bridges have been washed away and in Rudraprayag alone, 26 bridges have been washed away. Sources say it may take around 2 to 3 years to make completely recovery.
11:14 am: The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a donation of Rs 1 crore to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the flood affected people of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
11:11 am: Two Army Columns are being deployed at the Pindari Glacier to evacuate 30 to 35 stranded people. The Army is planning drop food and evacuate stranded people by helicopters. 45 more paratroopers have taken off from Jolly Grant to Gaucher. They will further be inducted to Gaurikund.
10:52 am: Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari will brief the media on the Uttarakhand rescue operations at 12:30 pm today.
10:10 am: The angry relatives of those who have been missing have blocked roads in Dehradun. They are agitating saying they are getting no information whatsoever on any missing persons and are getting no help from the government.
9:51 am: The Chamoli District Magistrate, SA Murugesan, has told CNN-IBN that it will take at least five to six days to rescue people from Badrinath. He said over 5,000 people are still trapped in Badrinath.
9:33 am: The ITBP has said that all the survivors have been evacuated from the Kedarnath temple site. Meanwhile, NDRF teams have reached Rambara near Kedarnath, where they have recovered 17 bodies. The NDRF teams have rescued 885 people till now from Rambara and are planning to rescue another 500 to 1,000 people on Friday. From Hemkund Sahib too, 340 people have been rescued.
It is day 4 of rescue operations dawning in Uttarakhand, where thousands still remain missing and unaccounted for, a week after the early monsoon resulted in flash floods and landslides. The death toll across the state has risen to 150, though the fear is that this number could rise very quickly.
So far 33,000 people have been rescued, but over 35,000 are still stranded across the state. Helicopter sorties through the day on Thursday were carrying people to safety. The Army, ITBP, Air Force, Natural Disaster Response Force teams and individuals have been working round the clock.
The critical stretch has been between Kedarnath and Guptkashi, but now the big challenge has moved to between Ram Bara and Gaurikund. Evacuations are expected to continue for another week, while air operations will continue for three more days. The Sonprayag-Rudraprayag and the Uttarkashi-Rishikesh roads have now opened.
The extent of damage around the Kedarnath temple has been huge. The number of people who have died in Kedarnath is not yet clear.
After completing evacuation in Kedarnath, the Army's next big challenge is going to be Badrinath, where over 7,000 people are still trapped. A major portion of the 28 km long road leading to the temple town has been washed away.
Uttarakhand government sources say over 3,000 people are still trapped near Ghangaria, a village on the way to Hemkund Sahib. So far, only four helicopters are operating in the area for rescue operations.
Survivors recount horror
The most critical, the old, the infirm are being airlifted to Dehradun when needed, being provided medical treatment. The armed forces continue to drop food and medical packets. But even after the rescue itself, there are huge concerns when it comes to survival.
Separated from his loved ones, hungry for three days and left penniless, Kailash doesn't know if he and his family will ever reach the safety of their home in Jodhpur. "We don't have a penny, how will we reach home," he said.
Kailash, his wife and his four-year-old son were airlifted from Kedarnath and brought to the district hospital in Rudraprayag with the other injured pilgrims. He got emotional as he remembered the horror in Kedarnath. "We had to walk over dead bodies. Nothing is left there, everything is finished. We can't even find our relatives," Kailash said.
Others like Ram Singh and Mangu Singh are the only surviving members of their group of 30 from Ujjain. They are injured badly but glad that they have survived. Their troubles have not ended just there. They've been rescued but left with no care and devoid of even food and water. They said they are not being given food and medical care.
It remains to be seen whether the authorities will finally act and provide these people with the necessary care.
At the Jolly Grant hospital in Dehradun, those rescued are hoping against hope that their loved ones are safe. 100 beds have been kept at the emergency ward. As of now around 21 patients are admitted, ten have been discharged, with more patients arriving.
"We remained hungry for four days. We were very worried. Nobody helped. We were helping each other out but there wasn't any help from the government. Today we got some help and protection. Our children died there out of hunger," said a rescued survivor.
Relatives search for their loved ones
Huge logistical challenges remain for the rescue teams. Many people are worried about their loved ones saying they can't get through the helpline numbers.
To help the many families and friends who have been separated in the Uttarakhand floods, Google has launched its 'Person Finder' App - under the name 2013 Uttarakhand Floods. It has already helped locate over 150 people. The App helps offer information on those missing - whether you have information to share on those missing, or you're looking for someone, you can log on to that page and post.
This is an App that was used in the recent Boston Marathon Bombing. It was initially created in in 2010 in response to the earthquake in Haiti.
You can also send us pictures and names of your loved ones who are missing. Just go to www.ibnlive.com/uttarakhandmissing
Helpline numbers:
Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161
Chamoli: 01372-251437
Tehri: 01376-233433
Rudraprayag: 01732-1077
The ITBP helpline and control room numbers: 011-24362892, 9968383478
Army medical emergency helpline numbers: 18001805558, 18004190282, 8009833388
Uttarakhand Helpline numbers: 0135-2710334, 2710335, 2710233
Railway helpline numbers at Haridwar: 09760534054/09760534055;
Dehradun: 01352622131;
Rishikesh: 01352434167####[View the story ”Uttarakhand floods: These people are missing. Can you help?” on Storify]
Comments
0 comment