Revisiting Uttarakhand floods: fear, politics and misery

Almost two weeks after torrential rains and flash floods hit Uttarakhand, nearly 5,000 pilgrims are still waiting to be evacuated from Badrinath shrine and Harsil. Nearly 820 peoople have died in the devastating floods. Meenakshi Seetharamanreports. VIDEOS INSIDE

Almost two weeks after torrential rains, flash floods and landslides hit Uttarakhand, nearly 5,000 pilgrims are still waiting to be evacuated from Badrinath shrine and Harsil. Nearly 820 peoople are reported to have died in the devastating floods.

Videos posted on the Internet by journalists and onlookers depicted the horrific details of the floods ravaging Uttarakhand, killing hundreds and drowning many more.

The politicians, being completely insensitive to the situation, have been fighting among themselves to garner public attention.

Congress - TDP leaders squabble over survivors
In a brazen show of competitive politics, Andhra Pradesh MPs belonging to Congress and Telugu Desam Party were seen locked in a scuffle in public view at the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun over ferrying pilgrims back to the state.

Video of a journalist reporting from flood victim's shoulders

Narayan Pargaien, a television journalist who reported on the deadly Uttarakhand floods while perched on a survivor's shoulders has been sacked, the head of the channel told AFP.

He had triggered outrage after a video clip went viral on the Internet showing him speaking into the camera while sitting on the shoulders of a local villager.

Divinity in trouble
An idol of Lord Shiva was submerged yet stood tall in the flooded Ganga river in Rishikesh, when deadly floods hit Uttarakhand.

Rescue chopper crash kills 20 in Uttarakhand

Paramilitary soldiers recovered 20 bodies from a steep hillside in Uttarakhand where a helicopter crashed while on a mission to rescue people stranded in monsoon floods, Air Force Chief NAK Browne said.

Truck falls into a valley in Uttarakhand

This video shows a truck falling into a valley in Uttarakhand after it was caught in the deadly floods. Fortunately the passengers of the vehicle were rescued.

Two-storey building collapses in Uttarakhand

A two-storey building collapsed like a pack of cards in a few seconds in Uttarakhand, as heavy rains continued to lash the state killing thousands and leaving many more stranded in the hilly regions.