Watch in pics: Uttarakhand devastation and rescue operations

Rishikesh, Jun 20: Rain has created havoc in the hill state of Uttarakhand where torrential rains have caused massive landslides and flooding. Small towns like Devprayag, Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Govindghat, and Hemkund Sahib have been devastated, after the mighty Ganga and its tributaries Alaknanda and Mandakini wreaked havoc on Uttarakhand in the last three days. The immediate focus is to rescue thousands of tourists and pilgrims who are stranded. Big machines like JCB, bulldozers and other vehicles were washed away in the flash flood in Uttarkashi district. Torrential rain and floods washed away buildings and roads, killing at least 23 people on Monday in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said Monday. People gathered at the site of a road accident on the Haridwar-Mana national highway, in Uttarakhand. A flooded Badrinath highway road is seen near Joshimath district in Uttarakhand. People walk on a road which caved in after incessant rains on Rishikesh-Mana highway near Joshimath district in Uttarakhand. Houses are submerged as trucks flow in flood waters of the Bhagirathi River in Srinagar district of Uttarakhand. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) arrive to rescue stranded Sikh devotees from Hemkunt Sahib Gurudwara, a religious Sikh temple, to a safe place in Chamoli district, in Uttarakhand. A house is seen partially submerged in the flood waters of the River Tehsil, in Dehradun. People gather to watch a bridge submerged in the flooded water of the River Ganga in Rudraprayag, in Uttarakhand. Indian army jawans rescue stranded pilgrims to a safe place in one of the worst flood affected region in Govind Ghat, in Uttarakhand. Floods triggered by torrential rains have killed many people in northern India. More than 1,000 pilgrims are stranded at various locations due to floods and landslides. Army jawans distribute free food to stranded pilgrims after they were rescued from one of the worst flood affected region in Govind Ghat, in Uttarakhand. Army jawans rescue stranded children and other people to a safe place in the worst flood affected region of Govind Ghat, in Uttarakhand . Houses are partly submerged in the flooded Alaknanda River in Govind Ghat, in Uttarakhand. An Indian army jawan carries a stranded woman pilgrim to a safer area in Chamoli district, in Uttarakhand. A submerged idol of Hindu Lord Shiva stands in the flooded River Ganga in Rishikesh, in Uttarakhand. This idol too was later washed away in the flash flood. People walk on a mountain near a highway damaged by a landslide in Chamoli district, in Uttarakhand Houses are partly submerged in the flooded River Ganga in Uttarakashi district. People cross the Laxman Jhula, an iron suspension bridge, over the flooded River Ganga in Rishikesh. A damaged government guest house falls into the flooded water of the River Ganga in Srinagar district of Uttarakhand. A view of the Hindu holy town of Kedarnath from a helicopter after a flood. A man rows past a bus partly submerged in flood water in Rishikesh.