Syrian Church to rebuild Uttarakhand village

Kottayam, India, 13 August 2013: The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church has decided to rebuild a village affected during the flash floods in Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in India.

According to UCA News, the Church Episcopal Synod which was held last week, accepted the suggestion in this regard mooted by the Church Mission Society.

The meeting held at the Catholic Bishop’s House hall in Kottyam in the Southern Indian state of Kerala. It was presided over by Baselius Mar Thoma Paulose II.

The Church has contributed 500,000 for the flood relief fund. The meeting also passed the decision to provide nutritional food to around 500 children in nine villages at Attappadi for a year.

The floods on June 16 devastated the Hindu pilgrimage site of Kedarnath, destroying nearly all buildings except an ancient temple, and other parts of the state.

Hundreds of thousands of people from across the country were on a pilgrimage to the sites of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Rishikesh and Haridwar when the tragedy stuck.

Authorities say the true number of dead may never be known, but will assume the figure to be 5,748 so that it can begin compensating the families.Source: UCAN