Torrential monsoon rains resulting in massive flash floods and landslides continued to wreak havoc in Uttarakhand on Tuesday with the official death toll touching 58 and threatening to go much beyond the worst estimates.The unprecedented flash floods have so far claimed over 130 lives in the north India, mainly in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and left over 70,000 pilgrims for Himalayan shrines stranded.Even as the army, India Air Force, ITBP and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and state administration managed to launch massive relief and rescue (RR) operations in the affected region, Kedarnath, where more than 6,000 people are stranded and still remained inaccessible.IAF helicopters could fly only three sorties in Kedarnath region and rescued 50 people.“Aerial survey shows massive devastation between Kedarnath and Gaurikund. Scores of bodies could be seen strewn around amid rubble and boulders. Such is the devastation that there is no place to land the helicopter barring a small spot at the temple,” said an ITBP official overseeing the rescue work.As most of the road between Rudraprayag and Gaurikund has been washed away and it would take months to construct them again, the only possible way to evacuate people in Kedarnath region is through helicopters.According to rough estimates, the IAF would need to make over 400 sorties to rescue the stranded people and that too very soon.Late evening reports said that two NDRF teams (20-24 personnel) have managed to reach Kedarnath and they are trying to rescue people. The army inducted two officers and 24 soldiers by helicopter on Tuesday morning into Sirsi near Gaurikund, 17 km short of Kedarnath.  The scale of devastation and handicaps in rescue operations forced the security forces to apply triage method – whereby they are trying to save people according to priority, i.e. pick up able-bodied and injured persons first and leave the dead — an official deployed in the rescue work said.  The rescue teams, however, managed to launch operations in Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri region where over 50,000 people are stranded.The ITBP rescued 1,500 pilgrims from Ghangaria and Gobindghat by deploying its mountaineering team. The scale of devastation prompted prime minister Manmohan Singh to take stock of the situation and assure Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bhaguna of providing all possible assistance in rescue and relief operations. The PM has directed all central agencies to assist in rescue and relief operations.

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