Rescue operations in Uttarakhand's flash flood-ravaged Uttarkashi district gained momentum on Thursday, with 65 stranded people airlifted to Matli, officials said. Efforts were also stepped up to airlift advanced equipment to the Himalayan village of Dharali to speed up the search for those trapped under rubble, they said.

Nearly 200 people were rescued from Dharali, a remote mountainous village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand state, after a cloudburst on Tuesday triggered mudslides and flash flooding in the Kheer Ganga river.