Road access is severely disrupted at multiple locations, including Bartwari, Linchigad, near Harsil, Gangnani and Dharali.Civilian and military teams are working round the clock to rescue stranded people, provide relief and restore connectivity, the Army said.The military helipad in Harsil and another in Nelong are operational and connected by road to Gangotri, enabling convenient movement of tourists.A civil helipad in Dharali remains non-functional due to a mudslide.According to the Army, more than 225 troops, including engineers, medical teams, and rescue specialists, are on the ground.Search and rescue dogs have also been deployed.One Reeco Radar team is in Tekla village and another Reeco Radar is being inducted for further deployment, the release said.Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters are waiting at the Jollygrant airport in Dehradun and are likely to commence evacuation of civilians from Thursday if the weather improves, it said.Five civil helicopters from Sahastradhara have been operating between Matli, Bhatwari and Harsil for the rescue operations in coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF).An ad hoc aviation base is being set up at the Matli helipad. Approximately 180-200 tourists stranded in Gangotri are being provided food, shelter, and medical support by the Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the release said.An action plan has been prepared for the next 24-48 hours.It includes airlifting para troops and medical teams to Harsil by Chinooks and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and medics to Nelong by Mi-17 helicopters, road opening ahead of Uttarkashi and Tekla, and evacuation of tourists from Nelong helipad on return sorties.Earlier in the day, the district administration said 65 people, including tourists, who were stranded at various places in Uttarkashi district have been shifted to Matli by helicopter.Buses have been arranged to send them to their respective destinations, the officials said.Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is camping in Uttarkashi to monitor the rescue operations, interacted with some of those rescued in the buses.Those rescued include pilgrims from various parts of the country who were stranded on the way to Gangotri following Tuesday’s flash floods.They thanked the Army, the state government and locals for providing them shelter and supporting them in every way.NDRF, SDRF, Army, ITBP, police and other related agencies are involved in the relief and rescue operations.SDRF IG Arun Mohan Joshi said, “Our priority today is to airlift advanced equipment to the spot. Our teams coming with advanced equipment on Wednesday were held up due to blocked roads.”There are 50 to 60-ft-high mounds of debris and those missing may be trapped under them, he said.Landslides have blocked arterial roads leading up to Dharali, where dozens of people were trapped and many homes and cars swept away by the raging waters on Tuesday.The advanced equipment will help rescuers dredge through the huge volume of rubble in search of the missing.Another priority is rescuing pilgrims stranded at different locations because of blocked roads. There could be 300-400 of them, Joshi said.Besides locals and tourists, the missing may include labourers as several hotels were under construction at the site of the flash floods.Dharali is the main stopover on the way to Gangotri, from where the Ganga originates, and is home to several hotels and home stays.Ground penetrating radars and sniffer dogs are also likely to be used to trace the missing, the officials said.
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