All 3,000 tourists in Leh safe

The approximately 3,000 tourists including about 1,000 foreigners in Leh town, which was hit by a massive cloud-burst and flash floods, were safe, officials said on Friday evening.

The approximately 3,000 tourists including about 1,000 foreigners in Leh town, which was hit by a massive cloudburst and flash floods, were safe, officials said on Friday evening.

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However, some tourists returning from Ladakh’s Pangong Lake were stranded, the state’s director of tourism, Farooq Shah, said. “Army rescue teams have been dispatched to the site,” he said.

He said the exact number of people stuck at the site could not be immediately ascertained.

All possible aid would be extended to tourists, he added. “The administration has been asked to remain at their disposal,” Shah said.

Assistant director of tourism in Leh Nissar Hussain said none of the major hotels in Leh had been seriously damaged.

Leh district, situated at 3,524 m above sea level and spread over 45,110 sq km, is a popular destination for adventure tourists.

According to officials, Leh receives around 80,000 foreign tourists and 100,000 domestic tourists annually.

“Most of them come from the Leh-Manali road since militancy started in Kashmir,” a tourism official said.

(with inputs from AFP)