Leh: Over 400 people are still missing in the deadly flash floods that hit Leh and surrounding areas on Friday following a cloudburst. Till now 165 people including 16 foreigners have been confirmed dead. Over 3,000 tourists including 81 foreigners who were stranded for the last four days in the area have been evacuated. Six Indian Air Force helicopters conducted 60 sorties to evacuate 90 trekkers from Skyu in Zanskar Valley.
A senior IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, Anand Subbarao, who was stuck in a transit camp at Phang, died in Leh on Monday following respiratory problems. Subbarao, the Joint Excise Commissioner of Mysore division was in a group of 16 tourists from Karnataka, and had been airlifted from Pang to Leh by the Army. His wife and daughter are still in Pang.
Apart from rescue efforts, the armed forces are also focusing on rebuilding communication links and 7 tonnes of additional cables have been brought in to restore telephone lines.
The Army is also supplying tents to help district authorities set up makeshift hospitals and refugee camps. Army jawans have also been arranging for firewood for cremation of the dead and provisioning of generator sets.
While relief work still continues heroic tales of rescue are also emerging. In an act of sheer valor, Naik Prem Dorji of Indian Army's Ladakh Scouts lost his life in the floods while attempting to save people.
Dorji was able to bring two families to safety but lost his own life. His colleagues gathered to pay tribute to his heroic sacrifice amid the chaos in Leh.
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