Cloudburst and flash floods kill scores in Leh
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COMMENTS 
At least 115 people have died and dozens remain missing after flash floods, triggered by a series of cloudbursts, struck Leh town and the adjoining areas on Thursday, sweeping away buildings and military installations. The death toll is likely to rise
Cloudbursts and flash floods on the night of August 5, 2010, have killed and injured scores of people in Choglumsar, 13 km from Leh, at an altitude of 3,505 metres, in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Many are still missing, including foreign tourists, said the Indian foreign ministry. According to the Jammu and Kashmir tourism ministry, around 5,000 tourists were in the area at the time of the incident.
More than 40 army jawans are among the missing as their camp, located near a riverbed, was swept away in the floods. Besides residential houses, a portion of the CRPF camp in Leh, ITBP camp, BSNL building, Leh district hospital, and a Doordarshan transmission tower have been damaged. Several army barracks too have been destroyed.
The airport in Leh town is open and planes carrying disaster response teams, doctors and communications equipment have been dispatched.
The region, which shares borders with both China and Pakistan, has been suffering the worst floods in 80 years that have killed over 1,600 people, disrupted the lives of over 12 million and dealt a serious blow to the agrarian-based economy.
More than 6,000 soldiers have been conducting rescue and relief work in the Himalayan region.
The affected area stretches from Pang village on the Rohtang-Leh highway to Nimmu on the Leh-Srinagar highway, a distance of over 150 km. The IAF is conducting aerial sorties throughout the day to assess the damage, and has placed helicopters on standby in Kargil, Thoise and Chandigarh. Relief flights are expected to land only by Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, the army has activated its Disaster Management Cell to help control the situation. “More than 26 army columns have been deployed for rescue purposes. Detachments of the formation located at various places on the highway too have been activated to provide relief and shelter to stranded civilians and foreign tourists. All aid is being extended to evacuate them to safer areas, using army vehicles,” an officer said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on August 6, 2010, announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each to relatives of the deceased.
Source: The Indian Express, August 7, 2010
Press Trust of India, August 6, 2010