Dehradun:
An Indian Air Force helicopter in Uttarakhand crashed this evening near Gaurikund. All eight people on board have died. Five were air force personnel, the others were civilians. The Air Force has said the rescue operations will continue.
Here are the latest developments in the story:
The death toll in the disaster stands at 830 now. More than 120 bodies were found earlier today in Kedarnath, which was the worst-hit area. (127 more bodies recovered from Kedarnath)
After heavy rain this morning, the weather improved by 12 pm in the flood-ravaged state, allowing military helicopters to resume rescuing 6,000 people who remain stuck, most of them near the holy town of Badrinath. Many of them are now in temporary relief camps with access to food and water.
Today's rescue operations are focused on nearly 5,000 people who are in Badrinath. Hundreds are in relief camps, but cannot leave the region as landslides have cut off access to major roads leading to Dehradun and Rishikesh, from where they could be sent home.
Four choppers made sorties to Badrinath today and evacuated 60 people, officials said.
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Pilgrims who are able to walk are trekking from Badrinath to Joshimath, 44 kms away, and then to a base camp in Gauchar, which is another 14 kms. (Uttarakhand flood: Full coverage)
At Harsil, 400 kms from Badrinath, another 1200 people are awaiting rescue.
50 people are stuck high in the hills in Bhairon Chatti and Garud Chatti, a remote region. The Indian Air Force's specially-trained commandos, Garuds, have been deployed here to speed up rescue work. They will descend from helicopters with ropes to pick up those who are stranded. (Specially trained Air Force 'Garud' commandos deployed for rescue ops)
Congress vice-President Rahul Gandhi spent the night at a base camp in Gauchar last night and did an aerial survey of Kedarnath this morning. He arrived in Uttarakhand on Monday as Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde warned that visits by VVIPs impede rescue operations, and that political leaders will not be given landing rights.
For the first time today, the Air Force was able to land a big helicopter - the Mi-170 - in Kedarnath to drop off firewood and other material needed for a mass cremation for the hundreds of bodies found here. Officials are worried about the decomposing bodies causing an outbreak of diseases. Local priests will supervise the last rites.
The Supreme Court today ordered the government to scale up the relief and rescue operations. The court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation or PIL on the national disaster.(Supreme Court asks Centre, Uttarakhand to step up rescue operations)
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