Police teams in flood-hit Uttarakhand have found 71 more bodies in the higher reaches of the Kedar valley which were earlier inaccessible due to bad weather.
Over 160 bodies have been found from the valley in the last four days. All of them will be cremated after DNA tests and post-mortem, the police have said.
According to the police, the bodies seem to be of devotees who went to the jungles after the mid June calamity to save themselves and perished due to extreme cold and hunger there. The area was totally cut off for several days after the floods hit the state on June 15.
About 30 police and NDRF personnel will continue the search operation for the next few days in Junglechatti, Rambada, Gaurigaon and Bheembali areas of the valley where the police expect to find more bodies.
So far, nearly 400 bodies have been cremated in the Kedarnath Valley.
Meanwhile, efforts are on to get the temple complex in Kedarnath ready for the special prayers scheduled for September 11.
The restoration of the temple will begin later this month with an estimated Rs.2.40 crore being spent in the first phase, Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch said on Friday.
"We are just waiting for the government's nod. Our team is there and is ready to start the work. The restoration work is divided into phases because the winter is upon us and it will hit Uttarakhand after Diwali," the minister said.
"The work will begin only after September 11," she added.
A report by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) accessed the damage to the temple and its premises and said that two working seasons in 10 months would be required for the restoration work.
Saturday 7 September 2013
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/uttarakhand-tragedy-over-160-bodies-found-in-kedar-valley-in-four-days-415550
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