Meanwhile, 208 people have so far been evacuated from the Harsil sector but 600 more are still stranded. "We were able to pull out 1,341 people from various sectors. From Badrinath, which is a key focus area, we could only pull out 350 because the weather gave an hour's opportunity, and we made use of that. The Harsil operation is likely to finish today," Air Commodore Rajesh Issar said in Dehradun.
As many as 14 choppers were being kept ready to fly to Badrinath to evacuate pilgrims, another IAF officer said. "The moment the weather clears up, we will resume the operations for Badrinath Dham," he said.
