Death toll rises, many still missing in Leh
Leh: The situation remains grim in Leh where at least 120 people have died in the flash floods due to the deadly cloudburst. Over 550 people are still missing and over 15,000 have been injured giving rise to fears that the death toll could be a lot higher. The region remained cut off by road for the second day on Saturday. Relief and rescue teams are being flown in by Indian Air Force and Army planes.
Army helicopters are also conducting aerial surveys of the affected areas and looking for survivors.
Army helicopters are also conducting aerial surveys of the affected areas and looking for survivors.
The airstrip of Leh airport was cleared after which six IAF planes landed with 29 tons of relief material. The planes also carried disaster management team, medical supplies and doctors.
Indo-Tibetan Border Police has sent in a specialised team of dog squads for rescue work and a second disaster response team has been flown in from Delhi along with specialist doctors and surgeons. "There is a massive requirement of reinforcement of relief operations in this area. All the roads are cut off so it is only by air link that work is being done. The Air Force has done an excellent job by ferrying as much as six aircrafts today loaded with food materials and provisions and supplies have landed. The requirement for these provisions will be huge so these reinforcements and relief work has to be done by the civil authorities and the Air Force for a few more days," says Dr W Selvamurthy, head of National Disaster Relief Force in Leh.
It's been more than 24 hours since a cloudburst and subsequent flash floods left a trail of death and devastation in Leh. Even now fresh landslides are now being reported in Siachen, which is hampering the search for more than 20 Indian Army soldiers who have been missing since Friday night.
"Medical supplies are also required and we may need the psychological counselling of the affected people because they are under the effect of post traumatic disorder. So we are bringing in a team from the DRDO who will be there for helping the local people. We are getting our people from the Defence Institute of Psychological Research. I have asked them to move in today. Temporary accommodation for the people is required who have lost their houses. These are some of the things that our government is supporting us with. It will take time to bring normalcy back," says Dr Selvamurthy.
Severed communication and road links are also proving to be a big challenge. Many are stranded on highways in and around. The meteorological department predicts heavy rains for the next 48 hours.
Efforts are on to airlift affected people from Chamunsaar which is worst hit. Nearly 5000 tourists are reportedly stranded at Leh. The Union Home Ministry has asked for four-five additional flights to operate to and from Leh for the next few days to bring out all those stranded in the flood-hit area.
Air India has already pressed in two additional flights while Jet and Kingfisher have added three flights each.
Many people outside Leh are still waiting to hear from their family members.
Students of a government school in Jammu have lost some family members in the flash floods. Some students are still waiting for word from their parents or relatives as they are unable to get any information because the phone lines are down.
"I haven't been able to talk to my parents since yesterday. I can't study either, have been crying all day," says a student, Sunchuk.
Clearing operations are underway on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh road with the Border Road Organisation and Army jawans employing JCBs to remove the debris. There have been several landslides, which have blocked the Kargil-Leh highway while flash floods have washed away several culverts and damaged bridges. Road traffic has been severely hit on the route and trucks taking supplies to Leh have been stranded for the past three days.
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