Uttarakhand rains: 3,000 people rescued, 1,000 more still stranded on Kedarnath route, says official

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], August 2 : Rescue and restoration work continued on Friday in Rudraprayag following heavy rains that led to damage of the route to Kedarnath Dham in the district, a senior official said on Friday.
Uttarakhand Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said that as many as 3,000 people stranded on the route have been rescued so far but there are still about 1,000 people are still waiting to be rescued in Kedarnath.
"The weather has become better in the entire state of Uttarakhand. There is no heavy rain and an Orange alert has been issued for tomorrow for Uttarkashi which means there will be some amount of rain," he said.
"All the major routes are open only the route between Kedarnath to Gaurikund is not open. Yesterday, we were successful in bringing 2,300 people from Gaurikund to Sonprayag. 700 people were airlifted. As many as 3,000 people have been rescued so far," said the Disaster Secretary.
The official advised people to not venture out in the rain.
"Presently, 1000 people are stranded in Kedarnath. They are completely safe. There is no disaster-like situation over there. There is appropriate shelter and food facility provided. There is enough food for 15 days," he said.
The official said that four helicopters, including those from the Indian Air Force have been deployed for the rescue operation today.
"Some people have been stranded in Gaurikund. NDRF, SDRF, and state administration are carrying out rescue operations. One person got injured and one person has been reported dead. There is no other causality apart from that," Disaster Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said.
Due to the sudden fall of debris and boulders on Gaurikund hill road, the two-kilometre-long alternate route being used for rescue has been damaged.
SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) Commandant Manikant Mishra, said a further action plan is being prepared and drones are being ultilised to carry out the rescue operations more effectively.
SDRF teams were directed to safely rescue people on the Sonprayag-Gaurikund route.
Commandant Manikant Mishra apprised the teams of the new action plan involving the use of drones.
Mishra said that two backup teams from August Muni and Ratuda have been called in intensify the search and rescue operation. Four SDRF teams deployed at the helipads of Licholi and Kedarnath have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the stranded people.