NEW DELHI — Indian troops on Thursday were trying to rescue thousands of people stranded by floods in the north that killed more than 200 people.
Floods and landslides in state of Uttarakhand have killed at least 167 people since Sunday. In Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, 36 people were reported dead.
More than 30 military helicopters and aircraft airlifted people to safety and dropped food supplies in inaccessible areas. About 10,000 soldiers, paramilitary troops and disaster officials were involved in rescue efforts.
The monsoon, which arrived about a fortnight before schedule, triggered floods and landslides, trapping scores of pilgrims who travel to Hindu shrines in the Himalayan region in mid-June.
The state disaster management unit reported that more than 50,000 pilgrims were still stuck in the worst-hit districts of Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi. A total of 33,192 people had been evacuated to safer places.
In New Delhi, Indian Meterological Department officials said rescue efforts had to be stepped up as heavy rains were expected in the region again Monday.
The Supreme Court ordered the federal and state government to spare no efforts to rescue people and asked for a report by Tuesday on the measures.
Indian media cited survivors as saying that thousands of people were still missing. State Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has described the floods as a “Himalayan tsunami” and said “very heavy casualties are feared.”
According to local media, at least 500 roads, 170 bridges and hundreds of houses and buildings were swept away after rivers burst their banks.
In Himachal Pradesh, 500 people including some foreign tourists were still stranded in the flood-hit Kinnaur, on the border with Tibet. In Nepal, which also borders Uttarakhand, 19 people had been killed and 25 people were missing.
