Nitish telephones Vijay Bahuguna over Uttarakhand calamity

With hundreds of pilgrims dead and scores others missing in flood and landslides in Uttarakhand, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today talked to his counterpart in the Himalayan state to express solidarity.
"In this hour of tragedy, we all are with you," Kumar told Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna over telephone.
He expressed deep concern over loss of lives and properties in the calamity.
The Bihar CM discussed the issue of pilgrims from Bihar trapped their and urged all assistance for their safe return, an official statement said here.
Over three hundred devotees from Bihar are believed to be still trapped in Uttarakhand and many others losing their lives there.

Former state health minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey managed to escape death at Kedarnath with his wife and children while two of his kins, bodyguard and personal assistant remain traceless are and feared killed.
The CM held a high-level meeting on the Uttarakhand natural calamity yesterday and announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the dead from the state. He has also ordered to send a team of officers to coordinate relief of pilgrims from the state.