New Delhi, June 18 (IANS): The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday flagged off an expedition to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand to mark the second anniversary of 2013 floods and pay homage to its personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Nine NDRF personnel died while rescuing people during the flash floods in Kedarnath Valley in Uttarakhand.

The expedition team was flagged off by NDRF Inspector General Sandeep Rai Rathore from Ghaziabad on Thursday, an official release issued here said.

"The 40 specially selected officers and other ranks of the NDRF from all 10 battalions of the force will travel from Ghaziabad to Kedarnath by road to mark the second anniversary in order to pay homage to the brave hearts," it said.

The team will reach Kedarnath on June 24 and after paying homage to martyrs it will return to Ghaziabad, it said.

The NDRF personnel rescued 9,647 people from the Kedarnath Valley during the disaster, which killed thousands in June 2013 floods.