Forty-eight more bodies were extricated from the heaps of rubble in Uttarakhand’s worst flood-hit Kedarnath area by police and NDRF personnel, even as four persons were feared dead when their jeep fell into the swollen Mandakini river.
The bodies, extricated since Thursday, were consigned to flames after necessary rituals, officials said on Friday. With this, the total number of bodies disposed of at the Himalayan shrine area has reached 188 since the start of operations over a month ago.
The police and NDRF personnel had a tough time in pulling out the bodies from the debris, as they had to cut through iron rods of the collapsed structures. While 25 bodies were extricated on Thursday, 23 were pulled out on Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rs 5 lakh in cash, along with items like voter ID cards, mark-sheets and debit cards have been recovered from the Kedarnath area during the clearing-up operations, the officials said.
In Ranikhet, four persons were feared dead after their jeep fell into the swollen Mandakini river on Thursday. The vehicle, on its way to Chabndrapuri in Rudraprayag district from Agastyamuni, was swept away by the river’s swirling waters.
Heavy rains continued to lash Uttarkashi and Ranikhet districts of the state on Friday, affecting relief operations.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rishikesh-Gangotri National Highway was blocked at a number of places beyond Netala in Uttarkashi district due to debris rolling down from the hills, even as an electric pole fell due to heavy rains at Gufiyara, leading to power breakdown at many places in Rudraprayag district, officials said.