Uttarkashi, Aug. 12 -- At least 42 people remain missing a week after flash floods ravaged Dharali-Harsil area of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, state authorities said on Monday, as they also revised the toll in the incident to one from the earlier six, saying that only one body has been recovered so far. "Of the 43 reported missing, the body of 24-year-old Akash Panwar of Dharali village has been recovered and his family has received financial assistance," Garhwal divisional commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey told reporters at the disaster control room in Uttarkashi. "The 42 [people] still missing include nine army personnel, eight residents of Dharali, five from nearby areas, one from Tehri district, 13 from Bihar and six from Uttar Pradesh." Apart from them, Pandey said, the administration has contacted five of the 29 Nepali labourers reported missing initially. "Five have been traced after mobile connectivity was restored. The remaining 24 have not been contacted, and contractors have been directed to obtain their details from their points of origin," he added. Efforts are under way to track down all missing persons, including those from other states, Pandey said, adding that clearer figures are expected in the next two days. The toll in the disaster, which was pegged at four on the day of the incident and increased to six days later, has been revised to one as officials maintained that only the body of the 24-year-old Dharali resident has been recovered so far. "The official death toll at present is one," said SDRF commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi. In the aftermath of the disaster, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a package of immediate financial assistance and a three-member committee for long-term rehabilitation of residents of areas hit by the flash floods on August 5. The CM said that the families whose houses were destroyed in the disaster would receive Rs.5 lakh for rehabilitation or displacement. A similar amount will provide as ex gratia to the next of kin of those killed in the disaster, the CM said. On Monday, Pandey said the ex-gratia payments to disaster-affected families has already been initiated and 98 affected families have been provided Rs.5 lakh each. A high-level three-member committee, headed by the state revenue secretary, has also been constituted to prepare a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package. "The members are scheduled to reach Uttarkashi today to assess damage," he said. Ten expert geologists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology are also being sent from Dehradun to study the Uttarkashi disaster, the official said. The development comes even as rescue operations continue in the affected area, with teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Army, ITBP and local administration working to trace the missing, assist survivors and restore connectivity. So far, Pandey said, 1,278 people have been evacuated from the affected area so far. "The top priority is tracing those trapped under debris." Relief and rescue efforts are being carried out on a "war footing" as per the directions of Dhami, he said, adding that adequate food grains, clothing and essential supplies have been made available to survivors "Repair of road links to Harsil-Dharali is progressing rapidly. The Bailey bridge at Limchyagad was completed late on Saturday night, enabling the movement of heavy machinery to the Dabrani-Songad stretch, where road restoration is under way. Connectivity there is expected to be restored by Tuesday evening," he said. A help post and medical camp have been set up at the 5km footpath between Dabrani and Songad, with SDRF and wireless teams also deployed in the region. "Gas cylinders are being transported by mules, and essential supplies are reaching blocked villages via transshipments". Communication lines have been restored, with mobile connectivity available in the area. "We have trained disaster volunteers and Panchayati Raj staff maintaining contact with villages. The disaster control room is operating round-the-clock to address any urgent needs," Pandey said. Meanwhile, Uttarkashi district magistrate Prashant Arya has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the recent flash floods in Uttarkashi. According to the order, the Bhatwadi sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) has been appointed as the inquiry officer, and he has been directed to submit a detailed report to the DM's office within a week. The scope of the probe includes determining the cause of the incident, compiling names, addresses and other particulars of those reported dead or missing, and documenting details of the injured, including whether they are seriously or moderately hurt. The probe will record the names and addresses of the kin of the deceased and missing persons, assess the number and type of livestock killed, injured or missing, and evaluate the extent of damage to personal assets such as homes and shops, the DM said....