The Meghalaya government Sunday sent a rescue team to the flood-ravaged state of Uttarakhand to rescue pilgrims and tourists stranded there for the past one week.
"We have rushed a special team comprising members of the Meghalaya paragliding association to assist them in coordinating with all the rescue operations in Uttarakhand," Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told journalists here Monday.
"I personally feel that their (paragliders) services can be of use in reaching out to those areas where helicopters cannot reach due to treacherous terrain," he said.
On the missing six members of a Shillong family, who were on a pilgrimage to the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand, the chief minister said all necessary steps are being taken to trace the missing family.
"I hope that these people are safe and we will ensure that they come back safely," Sangma said.
On the other hand, relatives of the missing family said they have not heard a word from them for the last ten days.
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The missing were identified as Shigan Agarwal, 80, Kasturi Devi Agarwal, 70, Satya Narayan Agarwal, 58, Hiramani Agarwal, 50, Mahabir Prasad Agarwal, 47, and Saroj Agarwal, 45.
"The last time we had telephonic conversation was June 15 - the day they reached Kedarnath from Badrinath, but it is seven days now and they have not communicated with us or informed us about their location and well-being," Anju, daughter of Mahabir Prasad Agarwal, told IANS.
"We don't know where they are now. Their cell phones have been switched off and we are eagerly waiting for them to give us a call but that too is not happening," she said.