The death toll in the MIC 17 helicopter crash has gone up to 20. Air Chief Marshel NAK. Browne said this in Dehradoon this morning.

He however asserted that the morale of the Air Force personnel is high and the evacuation process will gather momentum after the weather improves.

Air Chief Browne said that the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of the crashed helicopter has been recovered.

The Uttrakhand government has annoucned a day's mourning as a mark of respect to those who lost their lives in the crash. The State Government has announced an ex-gratia payment of 10 lakh rupees to the next of kin of those who died in the crash.

The Gujarat government has also announced compensation of 5 lakh rupees each to the kin of the deceased in the crash.

Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry is sending a high level medical team today to assess public health measures in the state.

The Ministry said, district units of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme and National Rural Health Mission have found no outbreak of water borne, food borne, air borne or direct contact diseases in the affected areas. The Ministry is also procuring 10 lakh chlorine tablets for the State.

Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth reviewed the flood situation in Uttarakhand and measures taken for rescue and relief operations in a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee in New Delhi yesterday.