70,000 evacuated from flood-ravaged Indian state, death toll rises to 680 Indian authorities have evacuated a total of 70,000 people from flood-ravaged areas. 22,000 remained stranded and official death toll attained 680. Rescue operation is racing against time as weather forecast says rain will return to Uttarakhand. NEW DELHI, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Indian authorities have evacuated a total of 70,000 people from flood-ravaged areas in the northern state of Uttarakhand while 22,000 remained stranded and official death toll attained 680, officials said Saturday. Over 10,000 people were evacuated on Saturday from various upper reaches of flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, including the worst- affected Kedarnath, the Press Trust of India quoted officials as saying. Rescue operation is racing against time as weather forecast says rain will return to Uttarakhand by Monday or Tuesday, which might hamper the work of rescuers and soldiers. The chief minister of the state, Vijay Bahuguna, said death toll could attain 1,000, as more bodies are expected to be found among mud and debris. On Saturday, officials said 123 bodies were recovered from the Kedarnath temple complex, raising the official death toll to 680, said Press Trust of India. Uttarakhand and some other states in north India were taken by surprise by an early monsoon last weekend. Many buildings along the Ganga river were washed away by flash flood. Some blame over-construction of the Ganga banks for causing the heavy losses of life and property. Indian gov't intensifies rescue, relief operation in flood-ravaged northern state NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Indian government Thursday intensified rescue and relief operations in the northern state of Uttarakhand, where hundreds are believed to have been killed by a massive flooding caused by an early monsoon, said government officials. Hundreds of pilgrims were evacuated by choppers from a 1,000- year-old old Hindu holy site, the Kedarnath town.