The Himalayan tragedy continued to unfold today with fears that thousands of pilgrims staying in 90 rest houses may have been washed away in flash floods even as rescue operations were today stepped up with additional IAF choppers pressed into service to evacuate stranded people in Kedarnath area.

In its report to the Union Home Ministry, the State Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre has said that casualties in the affected areas may run into thousands with about 90 'dharamashalas' (rest houses for pilgrims) swept away in the flash floods. However, the toll has been kept officially at 150.

With the weather clearing up, the focus was on rescue operations both in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh where two IAF and one state chopper was making sorties to rescue 600 stranded tourists. Related: Analysis can wait, relief and rescue priority, says Centre

In Uttarakhand, over 15,000 people stranded in Kedarnath and Govindghat on way to Hemkund Sahib have been evacuated so far to Joshimath relief camps through air and road routes, IG police R S Meena said.

"Apart from the 12 helicopters already engaged in rescue operations in affected areas, eight more have been roped in for the purpose to step up the process," Meena said.

Rudraprayag district worst hit

Rescue efforts are being concentrated as of now on Kedarnath shrine and its adjoining areas in Rudraprayag district, which has been the worst hit with about 90 dharamshalas in the temple area – where pilgrims were staying – having been swept away by the flood waters, he said.

Two helicopters have flown from Dehradun to evacuate stranded people.The Army has also deployed its mountain rescue teams to evacuate the pilgrims.

Scores of villages remain under water and cannot be tracked. Hence there is uncertainty about the casualties caused, he said, adding the "devastation is massive".

The Congress on Thursday rejected the BJP's charge that the flash flood in Uttarakhand is a result of "mis-governance" and "abuse and misuse of the system" and pointed out that the state was being ruled by the opposition party before Congress came back to power.

Amid growing demands to declare the floods and landslide disaster in Uttarakand a national calamity, Congress said that it is under serious consideration of the government.

"The government is seriously considering it. It has to take a decision," party spokesperson PC Chacko said when pointed out that BJP and some other parties are in favour of declaring it a national calamity.

He said the party has "not made any recommendation" as these things are decided by the government.

BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi had on Wednesday said that the "abuse and misuse of the system is basically causing damage to the governance structure of the country" and claimed that what has happened in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi also is a result of "mis-governance".

She had also said there was no early warning system and alleged the guidelines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have been violated.

Chacko, however, said "a natural calamity of this magnitude is beyond prediction" and that steps that can be taken based on the warnings were taken.

"We came to power in Uttarakhand recently. How were we accountable? The opposition party was in rule before us. What did they do? We do not politicise the matter as we understand that in every state there are some developmental aspirations.

"Probably there were some instances when some advices would have been ignored. There actually needs to be a balance," Chacko said amid criticism from certain quarters that the Congress government in Uttarakhand did not take into account the issue of ecological balance.

In a release, AICC Communication Department in-charge Ajay Maken said party chief Sonia Gandhi will be visiting relief camps and other affected areas very soon.

Bihar and Odisha on Thursday announced Rs five crore aid each for relief work in flood- ravaged Uttarakhand, as more states joined efforts to bring back stranded pilgrims and tourists back home.

Actor-politician and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha also volunteered to donate Rs 50 lakh from his fund for rehabilitation of victims in the hill state.

Amid reports of about 100 people from Odisha being stranded in different parts of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a contribution of Rs five crore for relief work.

"The amount will be given from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF)," an official at the Chief Minister's Office said, adding that a state government official team has rushed to Dehradun to coordinate the safe evacuation of stranded people from the state.

"We are in touch with Uttarakhand administration and taking all possible steps for rescue of Odias," Home Secretary U N Behera said in Bhubaneswar.

A round-the-clock control room has also been opened at Odisha Bhawan in New Delhi to assist family members of the affected people.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a contribution of Rs five crore from the Chief Minister's Relief fund.

A state government official has gone to Dehradun with the cheque of Rs five crore on the instruction of the chief minister, Anjani Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the CM, said in Patna.

Hundreds of people from Bihar are among those trapped and senior BJP leader and MLA Ashwani Kumar Choubey, who was among them, has since been rescued.

"I wish to donate Rs 50 lakh from my fund for expediting relief and rehabilitation of victims in Uttarakhand and appeal to other parliamentarians to come forward with monetary assistance in this hour of crisis," Sinha, Lok Sabha member from Patna Saheb in Bihar, told PTI over phone from Mumbai.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said about 400 tourists from the state are stranded and that the government would take all steps on a "war-footing" to bring them back,

However, they were "safe", she said in a statement.

After chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai, Jayalalithaa said in a statement that a high level committee headed by Government of Tamil Nadu Special representative at New Delhi has been formed that would leave for Dehradun to bring the pilgrims back to the southern state.

The Committee would coordinate with the Uttarakhand Government and the Centre to bring the tourists by helicopter to Dehradun. They will be later flown to New Delhi and from there brought back to Chennai, she said, adding, their travelling expenditure will be borne by the state government.

Besides, a help centre has been set up at the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi.

A seven-member special team from Madhya Pradesh reached Dehradun to coordinate relief works to safely evacuate nearly 3,000 pilgrims from the state

The team comprising officials and doctors will set up a control room for people from MP at Haridwar and extend all possible assistance to them for retuning home.

After reviewing updated information from Uttarakhand at the emergency meeting called by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the government decided to send the special team.

The Chief Minister also directed to consider possibility of deploying private helicopters, if required.

Chouhan ordered that temporary camps should be set up for affected persons of the state at Gayatri Peeth, Patanjali Peeth and other places.