THOUSANDS of pilgrims and tourists are sheltering in forests awaiting rescue, almost a week after flash floods and landslides hit northern India, wiping out villages and leaving at least 150 dead, officials say.
Helicopters and thousands of soldiers have been deployed to rescue people stranded at remote pilgrimage sites after devastating torrential monsoon rains hit the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand last weekend.
Rescue workers who have managed to reach those stranded are racing to cut down trees and clear vegetation to allow military helicopters to land and evacuate those most in need, a state official said on Friday.
"Thousands of tourists are waiting in the dense forests. They had all taken refuge in the jungle after hotels and other buildings collapsed," said the state's principal secretary Rakesh Sharma.
"We are trying all possible ways to rescue them. Roads are totally destroyed," he said.
More than 150 people have been killed in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, their state control departments said.
But officials have warned the death toll could rise dramatically as flood waters recede and rescue workers reach isolated areas.
Some 50,000 people are still stranded after the floods swept away houses and other buildings, while bridges and narrow roads leading to pilgrimage towns have also been destroyed, the national government said.
More than 34,000 people have been rescued in recent days, unconfirmed reports of another 13,000 people missing.
Torrential rains four and a half times as heavy as usual have hit Uttarakhand, known as the "Land of the Gods", where Hindu shrines and temples built high in the mountains attract many pilgrims.
The military operation was concentrating on reaching the worst-hit Kedarnath temple area, with many of those rescued taken to the Uttarakhand capital Dehradun.
Some of those stranded in mountain areas are trying to walk to safer ground, with photos showing pilgrims, aided by soldiers, using ropes to climb down cliffs.
Soldiers have also reached some of the villages in lower lying areas by boat, ferrying women clutching babies, children and elderly men to safety.
Video footage shows only roofs of the houses visible above the water line
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