Uttarkashi rescue day 5: 1K+ airlifted

CM Dhami announces Rs 5L aid for victims

- MPOST BUREAU

UTTARKASHI: Helicopters made multiple sorties on Saturday to evacuate people from areas surrounding the disaster-hit Dharali in Uttarkashi as rescue operations entered the fifth day with the thrust on improving road connectivity and supplying food packets to the affected people.

SDRF's dog squad walked through dilapidated buildings swamped with rubble in search of those who went missing after the devastating mudslide in Kheer Ganga on Tuesday tore through Dharali bazar razing hotels and home-stays to the ground and swept away all that came in its way killing people and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

The SDRF is searching for people trapped under the debris in Dharali by conducting a thorough search in the damaged buildings with the help of state-of-the-art equipment like victim locating and thermal imaging cameras and a dog squad.

"Apart from the fast evacuation of stranded people, we have to focus on the search and rescue of the missing people," Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth told reporters after an on-the-spot inspection of the affected areas.

The district administration has confirmed four deaths in the tragedy, recovery of two bodies and 49 people going missing since the disaster.

The IAF's Chinook and Ai-17 helicopters besides those of Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Authority began making sorties from early morning to rescue people taking shelter in various locations of the district.