Leh, August 6
With flood situation in Ladakh turning grim, the army has stepped up rescue efforts evacuating over 500 people from several submerged areas of Leh and Kargil district.

The Army has been put on a red alert in the region where incessant rains and flash floods have left seven persons dead and hit 20 villages.

“We have launched a major relief and rescue operation in Leh and Kargil district of frontier Ladakh region as the flood situation has become very grim. We have rescued 500 people from submerged area till now,” top Army officials said.

Rain since the past one week has triggered flash floods in the Ladakh region with Diskit located at the base of Siachen glacier in Kargil sector the most affected, they said.

Five hundred people have been taken to safer areas and food and other essential items provided to them since last evening.

Army is trying to reach out to people in all effected places and for this operation, Army has deployed 300 jawans and officers and set-up five tented village camps, they said.

Army has also pressed in four columns of engineers for setting up temporary briges and communication facilites to help people caught in submeregd areas, they said.

Nearly 20 villagers have been hit due to flash floods and 22 bridges have broken. Seven persons, including three army jawans, two army porters in Batalik area of Kargil and two children in Leh have been killed due to the floods.

Several areas have been cut off and flash floods in water channels have washed away roads too, they said adding almost the entire Ladakh is affected.

“Things are very grim in Ladakh and it is likely to become worse if rain fails to stop,” they said adding Army’s men and machines are trying to save several villagers.

Entrie Army in Ladakh has been put on high alert and all the Army contonments, and formation have been asked to help people, they said.

Several Army formations have also provided food, medicines and shelter to the affected people, they said

They said choppers would also be pressed into service. — PTI

Leh, August 6
Twelve Nepalese labourers were killed and five injured when 16 houses collapsed in Phyang village, about 23 km from here, on Saturday night due to heavy rain.

Several persons were saved after a two-hour long rescue operation, locals said.

Meanwhile, vehicular traffic on the Leh-Srinagar National Highway remained suspended for the second day today after Phyang Bridge was damage by overnight rainfall following cloudburst.

The BRO has pressed its personnel and machinery into service to clear the highway of debris. The overnight rainfall led to flash floods in Leh, Stok and many other villages of the district.

Local Administration and Hill Council has also taken all necessary steps to combat the hazardous and damages caused due to the floods and has also taken immediate steps to rehabilitate the affected families.

Affected areas have been divided into zones and teams of officers constituted and deployed to oversee flood control measures. — ANI

Jammu, August 6
The 300km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only surface link between Kashmir valley and rest of the country, was reopened to traffic today after multiple landslides blocking the road were cleared, official sources said.

“The highway was cleared of landslides by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and it was thrown open to traffic late this afternoon,” the sources said.

Over 150 stranded vehicles and a convoy carrying 168 Amarnath pilgrims stranded on the highway were allowed towards respective destinations of Jammu and Srinagar cities, they said.

There was no let-up in rain in Jammu and Kashmir, and there is threat of more landslides along the highway, they said adding that the road was reopened after remaining closed overnight. — PTI