NEW DELHI, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Indian authorities have started mass cremations of dead bodies in the flood-hit northern state of Uttarakhand's holy town of Kedarnath even as nearly 4,000 survivors are still waiting to be evacuated from the mountains, a senior official said Thursday.
"The mass cremations began Wednesday amid rainfall and is still continuing amid concerns about a threat of disease from decomposing bodies and poor sanitation. However, we are preserving the DNA of unidentified dead bodies which are being cremated. The mass funeral will continue for the next couple of days," he said on condition of anonymity.
But the authorities have not released any official figures of dead bodies in the holy town which is cut off from the rest of Uttarakhand after monsoon floods swept through the hilly state, killing thousands and washing away buildings and roads more than 12 days back.
Meanwhile, some 4,000 flood survivors are still said to be stranded in the mountains across the state even though the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have been constantly air lifting as many people as possible despite bad weather in the state, in which a rescue chopper crashed Wednesday, killing 20.
"Efforts are on to evacuate these 4,000 stranded people. We hope to air lift them by Friday," a senior Indian Air Force official said.
Uttarakhand, popular for its holy shrines and rivers, was hit by monsoon floods on June 16. The state is said to have received this year the highest rainfall in the last 60 years.
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