Chhattisgarh sends chopper to flood-ravaged Uttarakhand

In a bid to bolster the rescue effort in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh's BJP government Thursday said it would send a 12-seater hired helicopter to Dehradun to rescue people stranded there by floods and landslips.

"The chopper will begin an intensive rescue drive in the flood- and landslide-hit Uttarakhand from 7.30 a.m. onwards Friday," a top state government official said, adding that "the decision to deploy the chopper in Uttarakhand was taken on the special initiative of Chief Minister Raman Singh."

Reports say many people from Chhattisgarh travelling in Uttarakhand as pilgrims were either dead or missing since last weekend, when the Himalayan state was hit by an unprecedented flash-flood that set off landslides.

The Chhattisgarh government has also announced assistance of Rs5 crore to Uttarakhand.