Nearly 6,000 missing a month after floods

Reuters/New Delhi

The government yesterday officially declared that nearly 6,000 people were missing a month after flash floods ravaged large parts of its northern state of Uttarakhand, but stopped short of saying they were presumed dead.

The figure of 5,748, based on tallies of missing persons from around the country, was the first official estimate following weeks in which the numbers of dead and missing fluctuated wildly from a few hundred to several thousand.

Their families will now be eligible for financial relief, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna told a news conference, adding that his government would pay Rs150,000 to families in the state, besides compensation from the federal government.

“We are not getting into the controversy whether the missing persons are dead or not,” said Bahuguna. “We are abiding by what the families of the victims say, and if they think that they haven’t come back and have no hope as well, (then) we are providing them monetary relief.”

The official death toll still stands at 580, an official of the National Disaster Management Authority said. More than 4,600 of the missing in Uttarakhand had come from elsewhere in India, said the official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Record rains in June caused devastating landslides and flooded rivers in Uttarakhand, trapping tens of thousands who had flock to the towns of Kedarnath, Gangotri, Badrinath and Yamunotri.

The rains buried villages in silt and washed away roads, while raging rivers like the Ganges swept away homes on their banks.

The disaster, dubbed a “Himalayan tsunami” by officials and media, prompted one of the largest airlifts in the history of the Indian air force, as helicopters flew hundreds of sorties to rescue residents and pilgrims and drop thousands of kilograms of relief material. More than 100,000 people were rescued by the air force and security force personnel on the ground, officials said.

Air force pilots, who were operating more than 40 helicopters at the peak of the search, have had to negotiate narrow valleys, sometimes flanked with dense forest, and unpredictable mountain weather. Two helicopters have crashed during the rescue and 20 servicemen killed.

Thousands observe Ramadan fast

Thousands of Muslims in Bihar are observing the Ramadan fast despite struggling to survive amid inadequate relief in the flood-hit districts of Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar. “It is difficult to observe fast when there is no arrangement for Iftar at sunset to break the day-long fast and vail sehri (the meal taken before the break of dawn),” Feroz Ahmad of Bahadurganj in Kishanganj said. His wife and four children have taken shelter in a school building where dozens, mostly their neighbours, are waiting for two days to get relief. Ahmad said they were managing Ramadan fast with chura-gur (beaten rice and jaggery) - and unsafe drinking water. “Instead of traditional food cooked at home, we are eating chura-gur. It is affecting our health,” he despaired. The Congress MP from Kishangaj, Ishrarul Haque, admitted it was a difficult time for flood victims during Ramadan. He asked the government to ensure timely relief for flood victims, especially those observing the Ramadan fast.