A joint army and air force operation has evacuated nearly 12,000 Hindu pilgrims stranded in a mountainous area by torrential monsoon rains and landslides in northern India, but nearly 63,000 people remain cut off, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The death toll in the affected region totalled 86, according to official statements.
Air force spokeswoman Priya Joshi said 18 helicopters dropped food packets and other relief supplies in addition to ferrying stranded tourists. More than 5,000 soldiers helped bring thousands of homeless people to relief camps and provided them with food and medical supplies.
Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said at least 69 people have died since Sunday in Uttrakhand state as flooding washed away roads and nearly two dozen bridges and demolished 365 homes.
Another 46 people were injured and 22 were missing, according to a statement by the state government.
Another 17 deaths in house collapses were reported since Sunday in Uttar Pradesh state, which borders Uttrakhand, said R.L. Vishwakarma, a state police officer.