225 missing from Maharashtra, many trapped

The number of people from Maharashtra estimated to be missing in the Uttarakhand floods rose significantly from 190 to 225 on Monday, prompting senior state officials to raise the spectre of a three-digit toll from the state. With this scary possibility in mind, the Maharashtra government has issued a public appeal in districts for people to come forward and report family members who have not yet been accounted for.Only after this formality is complete can the government take a call on the toll from the state, officials said.
Later in the day, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan hinted at the eventuality in New Delhi and told TOI that some rescued persons, who were part of a group of tourists, had narrated accounts of some members of the group being swept away. "Several people are trapped in slush or have been washed away in floods. Therefore, at this point we cannot be sure of a toll figure. But certainly we fear for the worst now," said a senior state official from Delhi.
With limited choppers in hand for transporting hundreds of stranded tourists from the state, the Maharashtra government has streamlined its evacuation drive by starting a token system. This way, officials hope, women and children can be on the priority list.
The Maharashtra government has roped in two private choppers, but because of bad weather, only one is able to operate. The government has decided to deploy more M-17 choppers. According to state records, 2,736 people have been contacted out of 2,961 found stranded in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.
Chavan said that if the weather held good, the stranded tourists could be rescued within two days. "We discussed challenges in rescue operations. At this moment, rescuing people is of priority," he said. The CM flew to Dehradun on Monday to review relief operations at camps set up by his government.