Uttarkashi: Sniffer dogs nosed their way through high piles of rubble, drones circled overhead and rescue personnel searched for the missing through the sludge in disaster-hit Dharali on Friday, four days after raging waters buried half the village and left scores missing.

Since Tuesday, 650 people have been rescued, 400 Thursday and 250 on Friday, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, adding the rest will also be evacuated soon.

Communication lines were restored on Friday in the disaster-hit areas of Uttarkashi after remaining disrupted for three days with authorities hoping it will help in pacing up rescue operations.

“Internet connectivity has been restored. Airtel has begun to function in the affected area. It will speed up rescue operations,” Dhami told reporters after returning from Dharali.

However, roads are still blocked or broken between Dharali, Harsil and Uttarkashi and power supply has been badly hit, he said.

He said a generator set has been brought to Uttarkashi to be flown to the affected area.

“The situation is of course difficult but we are trying to bring things back on track at the earliest,” the chief minister, who camped here for the last three days to keep a close eye on the rescue operations, said.

Construction of a bailley bridge over Lincha Gad near Gangnani has also been started after the collapse of a bridge there, he said.

The bailley bridge will be ready within two days, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said.

Officials have said four people were killed in the flash floods. Two bodies were recovered on Wednesday.
The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) said 16 people, including nine Army personnel and seven civilians, are........

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