By IANS,
New Delhi : As part of relief efforts in disaster-hit Uttarakhand, the central health ministry has sent 1,600 body bags to the state.
While 1,100 body bags have been provided by the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), the health ministry has procured 500 bags, an official said Tuesday.
Hundreds died after an intense and heavy rain led to flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand two weeks ago.
The IRCS has also provided seven truckloads of relief material including tents, family packs, kitchen sets, blankets and lanterns.
A three-member team from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is stationed in Uttarakhand’s capital Dehradun to assess the health situation and coordinate with state health authorities to provide assistance.
The team comprises directors of the Emergency Medical Response and the National Centre for Disease Control and joint director of the National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme.
To ensure safe drinking water, 40 chloroscopes and a large quantity of reagents, sufficient to test up to 5,000 water samples, have been sent to the state.