U'khand rescue: Able-bodied being preferred over the needy?

New Delhi, June 20: Poor coordination in rescue operation in flood-hit Uttarakhand could lead to a rise in the death toll. According to a report, more able-bodied people were being rescued from the disaster-hit areas while the injured needing urgent help were being left behind. The ignorance of disaster management norms and misplaced priorities were leading to such a scenario, sources said.

Lack of coordination to stick to disaster management rules among teams engaged in the rescue work in the state led to a situation where whoever was being spotted first was lifted in the helicopter while those needing immediate help remaining second priority.

The National Disaster Response Force under the National Disaster Management Authority coordinates the rescue work.

Rescue rules say that the needy needs to be rescued first while the physically fit are to be aided last as they can endure difficult conditions for longer time. But what is happening in Uttarakhand is like "filling passengers in a bus at a stop", said a rescue official, adding that it could lead to more casualties.

Sources in the Union home ministry rubbished such charges and said that although many able-bodied people were rescued initially, they were kin of the sick and the injured and could not be left behind.

OneIndia News