Heavy rains on Tuesday in Uttarakhand disrupted the heavy rescue efforts for the flood affected people as it is estimated that 13,000 people are still stranded in the hills of Uttarakhand, officials said.
Disaster management officials told that many part of the state had been disturbed by heavy rainfall since Monday night.
Most of those who are yet to be rescued were caught up on the route to Badrinath, one of the most respected Hindu places of worship close to Kedarnath, which faced the brunt of the cloudburst and heavy floods over 10 days ago.
The Mi-16 helicopters with higher passenger capacity which are being used for rescue operation remained mostly grounded, the officials said.
Smaller choppers which tried to fly had to return to their bases at Joshimath and Harshil because of the unfavourable weather.
Moreover, fresh rains and landslides have also obstructed the rescue by foot in some places, as well as the identification process of the dead.
The rescue operation is being led by the army, air force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
According to disaster management officials, hundreds of people may have died struggling cold and hunger in Jangal Chatti area after surviving the June 14-15 disaster.
However, Uttarakhand officials refused to give any update on the death toll in the state of which most sources say is in the region of hundreds.
"Our priority and resources are completely directed towards rescuing the stranded," said Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya.
Heavy rains have flooded roads and highways in Udham Singh Nagar, Lal Kuan and Kathgodam in the plains of Uttarakhand.
-With inputs from IANS
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