Almora,Jun 29: The number of people killed in cloudbursts and flash floods in Uttarakhand recently may cross 10,000 mark, state assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said on Saturday.
"Earlier when I returned from a tour of Garhwal region I believed the casualty figure could be 4000 to 5000. But now as per my information and bodies being seen by the people, I can say the figure can cross the 10,000 mark," Kunjwal told told reporters here.
Though refusing to quantify casualties even 14 days after the tragedy, chief minister Vijay Bahuguna has been saying it is feared over 1,000 people might have been killed in the natural calamity.
According to him, the exact number of people killed will be known only after the removal of debris.
Kunjwal said arrangements should be made immediately by the government to dispose of the bodies in view of the threat of an epidemic.
Unable to trace parents at Kedarnath, MP woman ends life
After failing to trace her parents, who had gone to Kedarnath pilgrimage, a 35-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide here, police said today.
The dejected woman, Mamta Tripathi hung herself yesterday when her family could not find the whereabouts of father Nathuram Parashar (60), mother Kamla Devi (50), uncle Satish Parashar and aunt Vimla Devi, who had left for the pilgrim town on June 5, they said.
Mamta's husband had also left for Haridwar on June 18 to search for his wife's parents. She had spoken to them for the last time on June 15 and since then there was no contact, police said.
The woman had yesterday gone to Manshadevi temple to pray for the safety of her parents and on returning home, she cooked food for her family and after eating went to her room and took the extreme step.
At least 3,000 people are still reported missing in the massive Uttarakhand floods and landslides after heavy rains pounded the hill state on June 15, leaving nearly 1,000 dead and scores stranded.
Kedarnath is the worst-affected in the flood fury, and authorities are racing against time to minimise risks of an epidemic outbreak there.
