As lakhs of people still remain stranded in flood affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir, rescuers move to intensify their efforts following improvement in weather condition.

Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda said in Udhampur that the rescue operations will pick-up as additional Engineering teams and boats have arrived.

The massive floods in Jammu and Kashmir have claimed more than 150 lives and damaged roads and telecom infrastructure in the state.

Army Chief General Dalbir Singh said that troops will continue to carry out relief operations till the last man is brought to safety.

He said, 215 Army columns have been pressed into relief and rescue work in the state where more than 23 thousand people have been evacuated to safety so far. Army is also using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp to save people stranded in flood affected areas.

For the first time, Naval marine commandos have also been pressed into the massive multi-agency rescue operations. IAF helicopters and transport aircrafts undertook several sorties.

The IAF has deployed 45 aircrafts for the relief and rescue work. National Disaster Response Force Chief, OP Singh said, NDRF is also carrying out rescue operations during night.

Efforts are also being made to restore roads connecting Jammu with other areas. BSNL has launched an operation on war footing with Army and IAF to restore mobile services. Army has also airlifted equipment to restore communication network.