Rescue, relief operations in full swing

Rescue operations are on in full swing to look for hundreds of people still missing in Leh, four days after flash floods hit the district. The death toll has risen to 165. More than 150 foreign tourists were rescued by Air Force teams on Tuesday.

Rescue operations are on in full swing to look for hundreds of people still missing in Leh, four days after flash floods hit the district. The death toll has risen to 165. More than 150 foreign tourists were rescued by Air Force teams on Tuesday.

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The tourists, who were stranded in Lamayuru, a valley known for its Buddhist monasteries and hiking trails, have been relocated to safer places.

“Tourists stranded at various locations have been relocated to safer locations and provided with the medicare, food and shelter,” said Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Brar, spokesperson of the Northern Command of the army.

More than 400 injured are being treated in different makeshift hospitals in Leh town.

Around seventy students of Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, around 2 km from Choglamsar, the worst affected area, are helping rescue workers clear piles of debris and rubble.

Meanwhile in Srinagar, legislators of the ruling National Conference have pledged to donate a month’s salary for rehabilitation of the victims.