“In order to attend the calls from the relatives of pilgrims a control room with the telephone number 040-23451043 has been opened,” the State Disaster Management Commissioner T Radha said in a release.

The details of the stranded passengers in Uttarakhand state may be sent to Collectors or Mandal Revenue Officers concerned, it said.

Dehradun/Shimla/New Delhi: The famous Kedarnath shrine was virtually submerged in mud and slush where 50 people died in the unprecedented flash floods that claimed over 130 lives in Uttarkhand and Himachal Pradesh and left over 70,000 pilgrims for Himalayan shrines stranded.

The shrine, one of the four holy dhams, in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand bore the brunt of torrential rains. About 500 people, including several pilgrims, are said to be missing in the area.

Kukhimath Sub Divisional Magistrate Rakesh Tewari told reporters after his return from Kedarnarth that 50 bodies are lying in areas adjacent to the shine.

“We are right now concentrating on rescuing those who are alive,” he said. The death toll may rise significantly once water recedes and relief teams are able to access the affected areas.

A portion of the Kedarnath temple compound was washed away but authorities said no damages were reported to the structure itself.

The Ram Bada area, a busy spot near the temple, has been completely submerged and was not visible from rescue choppers.

Army Central Command officials said that nearly 6,000 to 8,000 people are stranded in Kedarnath, 2,500 in Hemkund Sahib and around 8,000 in Badrinath.

Flash floods, cloudbursts and landslips have so far claimed 131 lives in northern India. Thousands have been displaced in Uttar Pradesh where several rivers are in spate.

For more visit: Zeenews.com

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