The terrible magnitude of nature's fury continued to unfold in Uttarakhand today where 40 bodies of flood victims were found, taking the toll in the disaster to 207 even as rescue workers, including ITBP soldiers, raced to evacuate over 9,000 stranded in Kedarnath and Badrinath.
The toll was expected to rise as Uttarakhand Principal Secretary Rakesh Sharma said casualty figures can be "shockingly high".
50,000 people were still stranded in different inaccessible parts of Uttarakhand, he said.
In Haridwar, 40 bodies of those killed in the flash floods and incessant rains have been found.
"40 bodies have been recovered from different points along the Ganga since last evening and taken to the district hospital where each of them is being given a number and an identification tag," Senior Superintendent of Police Haridwar Rajeev Swaroop said.
An equal number of bodies are likely to be recovered soon from different areas located along the banks of the Ganga in the holy city, Swaroop said.
Citing difficulties in conducting the autopsy of so many bodies with limited facilities available, the official said additional teams of doctors have been requisitioned for the purpose.
Rescuers were focusing on rain-ravaged Kedarnath area where 250 people are stranded before shifting focus to Badrinath where 9000 people are stuck, officials said.
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