Hundreds rescued from Himalayas

NEW DELHI:

Emergency workers rescued nearly 1,000 people who were stranded in different parts of the Himalayas following torrential rainfall in northern India, which caused widespread damage and left at least 12 people dead, officials said on Thursday.

The capital Delhi received intense rainfall late on Wednesday, totalling 147 mm (5.8 inches) in eastern parts of the city and its suburbs, the India Meteorological Department said.

At least seven people died in Delhi, according to local media. Three people died and parts of two bridges washed away after a cloudburst - a massive amount of rain in a brief period -- in Uttarakhand state, officials said, and bad weather was hampering communications in the hilly terrain.

Rescue workers saved over 1,000 people who were stranded in different locations on the Kedarnath route - a trek to a Hindu pilgrimage site - and a patch of the national highway was washed out, district official Saurabh Gaharwar said by phone.