800 Stranded Kedarnath Pilgrims to be Rescued Today; 23 Killed in Uttarakhand, Himachal Cloudbursts

New Delhi:  The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Chinook and MI17 helicopters to evacuate 800 Kedarnath pilgrims stranded on the rain-ravaged trek route in Uttarakhand after the cloudburst. According to sources, these pilgrims will be evacuated on Saturday if the weather permits.

Till now, 7,234 pilgrims have been rescued from the route to Kedarnath.

In Uttarakhand, 15 people have died due to cloudbursts in Kedarnath, Tehri, Chamoli, Dehradun and Haridwar districts.

Eight others have died in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh in cloudbursts and landslides. The rescue operations to search for the survivors continue. Drones are being used in Himachal Pradesh to access areas that were cut off due to landslides and debris after the cloudbursts on Thursday.