More bodies airlifted from Malpa LUCKNOW, Aug 23 (PTI, UNI) — Nine more bodies were airlifted from the landslide-hit Malpa region and brought to Dharchula in Pithoragarh district while search and rescue operations continued amid intermittent rainfall today.

An aerial view of Dharchula, 30 km from Malpa, which experienced landslides recently. — PTI

An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter made a successful flight this morning to lift nine more bodies, Maj-Gen J.R. Mukherji, in charge of rescue operations codenamed "white-horse" at the Central Command, said here.

A report from New Delhi, however, said 10 more bodies of victims of the landslides in Malpa had been recovered during search operations today.

The ITBP said the body of well-known danseuse Protima Bedi would be handed over to her sister, Mrs Dham. Protima Bedi's baggage was also found today by the searchers.

Another IAF Chopper failed for the second consecutive day to reach Gunji helipad to bring the stranded Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims.

Six of the injured were brought from Malpa yesterday by an IAF Chopper.

With this a total of 17 bodies, including that of Protima Bedi, have so far been ferried to Dharchula. Altogether, 45 bodies had so far been extricated from the 20-metre debris.

An IAF Chopper had transported 60 relatives of the pilgrims to Pithoragarh from Bareilly to identify the dead yesterday.

NEW DELHI: The 13th batch of Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims reached Delhi on Sunday after its journey to the snow-bound lake in Tibet was abandoned in the aftermath of the Malpa landslide, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

The 9th and 10th batch of pilgrims, numbering 92, were 'absolutely safe' and lodged at Gunji and and Kalapani, respectively, near the Indo-Tibet border, and would be airlifted to Pithoragarh soon.

The 11th batch of pilgrims was expected to cross the Indo-Tibet border and enter India latest by August 27. The 13th batch, which boarded the train from Kathgodam, reached Delhi in the evening, he added.

Stomach-churning scenes BAREILLY: The first video footage of the devastation caused by landslide at Malpa in Pithoragarh district of Uttar Pradesh has depicted badly mutilated bodies, including some with missing limbs, huge mounds of debris and rain-soaked hills even as rescue operation continues to search 200 missing persons.

The body of a victim of the Malpa landslide being taken out of a helicopter at Dharchula on Saturday. — PTI

A 30-minute video capsule made by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on the search and rescue operations shows "stomach-churning" visuals of decomposing bodies being flown in from the highly-inaccessible mishap site to Dharchula, 30 km from Malpa.

The unedited video footage of the devastations caused by one of the worst natural disasters to strike the Kailash Mansarovar yatra was shown to mediapersons here by the ITBP Director-General Gautam Kaul on Saturday night, who said the pictures would be shown on Doordarshan.

The mishap site in Malpa village, which was hit by landslides on August 18 wiping out 60 pilgrims of the 12th batch of the yatra, still remain inaccessible for most, other than the few rescue team operating out of Dharchula.

A group of mediapersons seeking to reach the mishap site by an Indian Air Force helicopter on Saturday could not even land at Dharchula due to inclement weather and had to return to Bareilly.

"The weather has become the main obstacle in the search and rescue operations. Fourteen bodies were brought to Dharchula on Saturday under extreme adverse weather conditions. The scene of these bodies were stomach-churning," Mr Kaul said.

"These bodies were of all the 14 women pilgrims belonging to the ill-fated 12th batch, including that of eminent Odissi dancer Protima Bedi," the ITBP chief said adding, "we could not say for sure which one was her body."

"All arrangements have been made both at Pithoragarh and Bareilly to facilitate aerial transit of the bodies from the mishap site. Coffins as well as chemicals to prevent decomposition of bodies have been arranged at both the places," senior medical officer at the Air Force base here, Wing Commander C.K. Rajan, said.

He said that arrangements had also been made for cremation both at Pithoragarh and Bareilly.

UP floods death toll 576

LUCKNOW, Aug 23 (PTI) — Flood situation in Uttar Pradesh remained grim today with 21 fresh deaths pushing the toll to 576 and an estimated 42.74 lakh persons in 6750 villages of 30 districts being badly hit by incessant rains for the past few days, officials said here.

At least 21 fresh deaths have been reported from different districts, including Shahjahanpur (12), Sitapur (2), Fatehpur (2), Farrukhabad (1) and Pauri Garhwal (4) since yesterday.

The Army was called in to assist civil administration in flood-ravaged districts of Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj and Sant Kabirnagar, where 5000 villages have been affected.

The floods have affected about 5.17 lakh hectares of agricultural land besides destroying 14,069 houses, officials at the Flood Control Department said.

Reports from Sidharthnagar said flood waters had entered the thickly-populated areas in the district headquarters and as many as 1200 villages had been inundated.