Leh cloudburst kills 165 search on 500 missing

9 th August 2010 -:Nksagar-Sagar Media:-

A fresh cloudburst in Kargil area Saturday has cut off many villages. The IAF tried to airdrop essential items including tents and clothing in the villages affected by the cloudburst as roads were badly damaged.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Karan Singh has suggested that flash floods in Leh be treated as a national calamity so that MPs from all over the country can contribute towards and relief and the rehabilitation from their MPLADS fund.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today visited Leh for the second time after the tragedy struck. He directed the Border Roads Organisation to clear the Manali-Leh highway within next three days. He asked the officials engaged in relief work to ensure that procedural formalities do not delay the operation.

War footing rescue work at Leh struggled through piles of mud and slush looking for over 500 people missing in the Friday's devastating cloudburst that flattened villages and snapped power and communication links even as the death toll in the tragedy on Saturday mounted to 165.ITBP is helping plug the breaches to make National Highways between Srinagar-Kargil and Kargil-Leh functional. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has re-started Short Message Service (SMS) in Leh, to help in relief and rescue operations in the region. The SMS was banned in the state few months ago due to security reasons.

Leh, where several government agencies geared-up the relief and rescue operations. State Government, Army, Air Force, National Response Force (NDRF), Police and Centeral Para-military Forces, are engaged in the operation. Leh once picturesque landscape has turned into a disaster zone, with tossed up vehicles lying scattered and mounds of silt and slush burying houses made of mud called 'gomfa' and
shops.

Walking on the layers of unstable mud in one of the worst-hit Choglusmar village, you could find the high tension wires hanging right next to you. Rescuers waded through knee-deep mud to extricate trapped people.Rescue workers struggled through piles of mud and slush looking for hundreds of people missing in the Friday's devastating cloudburst as the death toll in the tragedy mounted to 145.

The biggest roadblock that rescue workers are facing is communication breakdown as the BSNL office was severely damaged in the deluge."The major problem is due to the communication breakdown. If communication is restored it will help in co-ordination of rescue operations in a better way," Pashi Tsetan, deputy director with the development wing of the local administration, said.The district hospital building had been inundated by the swirling waters forcing the administration to move to an under-construction building. Hundreds of people with bandages crowd the building.

According to Leh Deputy Commissioner, six bodies of foreign tourists who had been washed away in the flood recovered from different tracking routes of Leh. Scores of houses in areas adjoining Leh, particularly in Choglamsar, are currently buried under several feet of mud, dimming chances of people being rescued alive.

Rescuers waded through knee-deep mud to extricate trapped people. Jawans of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Army and General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) ploughed through the silt and boulders with earth movers, cranes and other machines, tourists were seen giving a helping hand. ITBP is helping plug the breaches to make NH1A between Srinagar-Kargil and Kargil-Leh functional.Both the ITBP and the Army have set up various camps to look after hundreds of injured. The ITBP had also set up community kitchens along the roads which are feeding the homeless.The biggest roadblock that rescue workers are facing is communication breakdown as the BSNL office was severely damaged in the deluge.

In a bid to restore vital communication links the Indian Air Force has transported BSNL equipment from New Delhi and Chandigarh to the affected area. According to a office release, the IAF has also airlifted a heavy duty bulldozer from Chandigarh to clear the debris there. Three IL-76 and four AN-32 Aircrafts have been pressed into service for this purpose.
As many as 1,314 passengers, mostly Indian and foreign tourists, were airlifted from Leh and brought to Delhi, Aviation Ministry said.JET airways and Air India operated four flights each and Kingfisher three to carry medical and other relief material, doctrors and para medics to help affected people in Leh, they said.Three IL-76 and four AN-32 aircraft carrying relief material reached Leh on Sunday morning.

ITBP is helping plug the breaches to make NH-1A between Srinagar-Kargil and Kargil-Leh functional Faced with an acute shortage of clean drinking water, the ITBP has dispatched tankers containing drinking water to the affected areas, Deepak Pandey spokesperson for the border guarding force said.

The force has also established a medical camp in Saboo village, which is located above Chuglumsar village, Pandey said.Bodies of eleven persons were on Sunday flown in an IAF plane to Udhampur in Jammu region from where they were sent to Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan, police said.

Relief material, medical items and 5,000 blankets were airlifted from Delhi.More than 1,300 persons, mostly Indian and foreign tourists, were airlifted from Leh and brought to Delhi. Air India has decided to operate four special flights on Delhi-Leh-Delhi sector on Monday and one each additional flight on Jammu-Leh-Jammu sector and Srinagar-Leh-Srinagar sector. The Jammu and Kashmir Government has re-started Short Message Service (SMS) in Leh, to help in relief and rescue operations in the region. The SMS was banned in the state few months ago due to security reasons.


Leh Administration has set up a 24 hour helpline to provide any information about the incident. The telephone numbers are 09906990787 and 09906990835.
Media gencies