Pilgrims from city caught in Uttarakhand nightmare

KANPUR: Many citizens of the Industrial City are trapped in Uttarakhand. They all had gone on a pilgrimage in groups but now find themselves battling tough weather conditions following rain, cloudburst and landslides. Thirteen family members of ManojShukla, a resident of Baradevi, had left the city on June 10 for pilgrimage.
"The group managed to contact us today," said a beaming Shukla.His family members were safe and were staying at a hotel, approximately 170km from Kedarnath. "On Wednesday, they tried to move out of the area but failed. They have no money and need supplies too," he added. Relatives of VinodSurekha heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday after members of his group managed to contact them. "Around six members of the family had left together for a pilgrimage to Kedarnath. They had not contacted us ever since the floods hit Uttarakhand," said a family member. On Wednesday afternoon, members of the group contacted one of their family members in the city.
The group said that they were stranded at Sitapur, about 17km from Kedarnath. They had been evacuated by ITBP personnel and were being taken to safer places, said another family members.