UNPRECEDENTED rains and flooding have turned temple town Kedarnath into a ghost town with bodies strewn all over the pilgrimage site.
Rain water gushed into the town from the summit behind the famous shrine carrying rocks and boulders, destroying everything in its path. The outer structure of the temple, however, seems intact.
The most ironic part of the tragedy is despite the mobile phone towers remaining intact, there was no electricity due to which people were unable to contact their families as their phones ran out of charge.
A senior Uttarakhand government official said 123 bodies have been recovered from Kedarnath, visited by a team of experts on Saturday (June 22).
Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said Kedarnath has been totally evacuated of pilgrims now.
Survivors of the Himalayan tsunami which left a trail of destruction in the hill state were all praise for Army, which they said has given them a second life.
Sukhvinder Singh, a Ludhiana native who was stuck for eight days on the way to Hemkund Sahib, said, “I was en route to Hemkund Sahib when the disaster struck. The situation was
deteriorating with the passage of time…We were relieved when the Army stepped in.
“They gave us food and water and helped us in every possible way. Had they not been here, we wouldn’t have survived.”
Recalling his horrific experiences during the past few days, Aman Bisht, who arranges treks to Hemkund Sahib every year, said, “The road links were shattered and there were no bridges left. And even if there was a road somewhere, it was broken. The Army has been very supportive.”
Another survivor from Punjab, who was rescued from Joshi Math, said he was able to contact his family only with the help of army personnel.
Sharan, who along with his family was rescued from Badrinath and brought to Chamouli relief camp on Saturday (June 22), said, “The situation is pathetic. Had the army not been there, we would not have had any chance of coming back ever.”
