STORY: Thousands of Indian defense personnel and other para-military units were involved in rescue operations in northern India on Tuesday (June 25), where devastating floods have left at least 680 dead and many thousands more still stranded.<br /> <br />India's Air Force and Army helicopters picked up a group of stranded pilgrims which included Hindu saints, one of whom told reporters they had been stranded for four days and ate "biscuits for sustenance."<br /> <br />Among the flood victims were 17 members of a single family who had been on a pilgrimage in the affected area. The two sole surviving family members reportedly witnessed their loved ones being washed away in the flood waters and were returned home on Monday to a tearful reunion in the eastern state of Odisha.<br /> <br />Prayers were held across India on Tuesday for those who have died in the floods, as well as for the well-being of survivors and those still stranded. In Punjab, worshippers came to the Golden Temple where donations to help
