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Helicopters save people trapped by floods along a key India pilgrimage route

Indian rescuers used a helicopter on Thursday to lift people out of floodwaters in the Himalayan State of Uttarakhand. This comes two days after an unexpected inundation and landslide that killed four people. More are still missing.

Rescue teams reached Dharali after the rain stopped. Tuesday's wall had submerged homes and cars, on the way to Gangotri, a Hindu pilgrimage town, in sludge.

In a Facebook post, Pushkar Singh, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, stated that helicopters had brought stranded people to safety.

Dhami stated that the destruction had been "massive", and the number of people missing was still being calculated.

He said, in reference to the rescue efforts: "If we have good weather tomorrow then we'll bring everyone by today."

The authorities said that about 400 people trapped in Gangotri are being rescued via air. Nine army personnel and seven civilians were among those missing.

Families of missing persons gathered in Matli to search for their loved ones.

Mandeep Panwar wanted to get to Dharali where his brother, who ran a hotel in the town and has been missing since Tuesday, is.

If you look at the videos, it appears that our hotel was the first to be affected by the flood. Panwar said, "I haven't heard from my missing brother in a long time.

Officials said that communication links between rescuers and residents were still disrupted because the mobile phone and electricity towers destroyed by floods had not yet been replaced.

Visuals revealed that earlier, rescuers of the army used both their hands and machinery to move boulders off roads which had become muddy rivers. Northern Command reported on X that more than 225 soldiers were involved in the rescue.

"We saw Dharali fall before our eyes," Anamika Mehra said, a pilgrim heading to Gangotri at the time of the floods.

On the way to the temple, the hamlet of 200 people in Uttarkashi district is more than 1,150 meters (3,775 ft) above the sea level.

Uttarakhand has a high risk of flooding and landslides. Some experts attribute this to climate change.

(source: Reuters)