India's military battled yesterday to reach villages and towns cut off by flash floods and landslides in the country's north as officials warned at least 1,000 people may have been killed.
Helicopters and close to 10,000 soldiers have been deployed to rescue tourists and pilgrims stranded after floods caused by torrential monsoon rains hit the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand at the weekend.
More than 33,100 people were rescued as the military took advantage of clearer weather, but another 50,400 were still stranded, the Home Ministry said.
"Our priority is to take out the children and women first by helicopter," Indo-Tibetan Border Police chief Ajay Chadha said in New Delhi. "We hope to rescue all the living and then start the scavenging task," Chadha said, referring to the task of searching for the dead.
Houses, buildings and vehicles collapsed or were swept away by overflowing rivers and landslides, while bridges and narrow roads leading to pilgrimage towns were also destroyed.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched an online appeal for funds, asking "all citizens of India to stand with our distressed fellow countrymen" and "donate generously".
Torrential rains 41/2 times as heavy as usual have hit Uttarakhand, known as the "Land of the Gods", where Hindu shrines and temples built high in the mountains attract many pilgrims.