Leh toll mounts to 165; 81 foreigners rescued

Leh, Aug 10: With continuous rescue efforts in the cloudburst-hit Leh region the death toll mounted to 165 and 400 are still missing while 81 foreigners and six tour guides were rescued by the Air Force from Zanskar Valley on Monday Aug 9.

So far 150 dead have been recognised said official sources.

The IAF carried out a record 62 sorties by Chetak helicopters in five and half hours to bring back 81 foreign campers and six tour guides from the 11,000-feet Zanskar Valley who were stuck there since Aug 5 and 6 after cloudburst.

The cloudburst and flash floods in Leh affected not only civilians but the men guarding India's borders also. Twenty-six Army personnel are still missing after the disaster on the night of August 5.

The Army said most of the missing personnel are feared to have been buried under 20 to 25 feet of slush while a few could even have been washed away into areas under Pakistan's control.

"The cloudburst has done a lot of damage to civilian as well as the military establishment," GOC of 14 Corps Lieutenant General S K Singh said here.

He also said that roads and bridges which were destroyed will take time to re-built.

OneIndia News