"It has been raining on and off since Sunday evening and we fear the rescue operation will be delayed," S B Sahi, president of Gorkha Democratic Front, told Republica over the phone from Dehradun, which is also said to be drenched in rain.[break]
It is not known how many Nepalis were rescued on Monday, but a press release issued by the Nepali embassy in New Delhi said around 50 pilgrims and 150 laborers have arrived in Haridwar and Rishikesh and are preparing to leave for Nepal at the earliest with help from the Nepali community.
The release also said that all those stranded in Badrinath are "safe".
Details of 163 Nepalis rescued so far are available on the Uttarakhand government´s website http://dms.uk.gov.in
Bad weather has grounded most of big military helicopters involved in the rescue effort while smaller helicopters managed to evacuate only 138 people from Badrinath, Pandukeshwar and Lambagar in Chamoli district.
The Press and Information Bureau of India said on Monday that an additional 500 people were evacuated through a rope-bridge constructed on the Alakananda at Lambagad. It could not be verified how many Nepalis were amongst those rescued.
There were fresh landslides in Rudraprayag and Badrinath and these have choked the routes. A cloudburst was reported at Mulan village in Paithani Kasba, Pauri following incessant rains. Many houses collapsed but casualties figures were not immediately known.
Uttarakhand´s disaster management minister, Yashpal Arya, stated on Sunday that "at least 5,000 people must have been killed in the deluge that inflicted heavy damage on vast tracts of land, especially in Kedarnath valley".
About 5,000 people are yet to be evacuated from Badrinath. However, Kedarnath valley, the temple town at the epicentre of the flood and landslides, was cleared by late Sunday.
The official death toll has been put at 680 so far.
Nepali community livid over Indian media reports
The Nepalese community of Uttarakhand has strongly condemned news report in Indian media that Nepalese laborers and porters are looting pilgrims stranded at various places in the flood-hit Indian hill state.
The outrage came a day after some Indian newspapers and TV channels carried stories stating that Nepalis, who come to Uttarakhand to earn a living as laborers and porters, are attacking and looting people and even molesting girls.
"We are extremely saddened by such media reports and we condemn them," said S B Sahi of Gorkha Democratic Front. He added, "We have protested against such false and unverified news. These are only attempts to discredit the Nepalis."
The issue was also raised by a two-member delegation of the Nepali embassy in Dehradun on Sunday during a meeting with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who told the delegation not to worry about such things.
Commenting on the issue, Nepal´s acting envoy to India, Tirtha Raj Wagle, said, "We have not paid any attention to such unverified reports as right now the priority is to rescue those Nepalis still stranded in various places in Uttarakhand." Wagle added, "There are many people, including Nepalis, who are helping the security agencies in the rescue efforts. Even some injured are extending helping hands."
I ate leaves for days: Survivor
Chetan Khatri, a porter from Nepal in Kedarnath has been admitted to Joly Grant Hospital in Dehradun since June 21.
Speaking to Republica over the phone from the hospital on Monday, Khatri said, "I broke one leg and I have been in the hospital since June 21." He added, "There were three other Nepali boys with me and I don´t know what happened to them or where they have disappeared."
Khatri, who hails from Valchaur, Ward No. 3 in Salyan district, was airlifted from somewhere in the middle of Gaurikund and Kedarnath.
"I saw many houses being washed away and many people dying," he said.
Asked how many Nepalis could have been affected by the floods, he said, "I think there were at least 2,000 Nepalis in Kedarnath alone. I don´t know what happened to them."
"I survived by eating leaves for three days," Khatri lamented.
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