With more bodies recovered by the rescuers, the death toll in last week’s cloudburst and resultant flash floods and mudslides in Leh and its neighbourhood rose to 185 on Wednesday.
About 400 people including 28 Army soldiers are still missing and the authorities are not sure about the chances of their surviving the natural fury.
Meanwhile, a cloudburst and subsequent flash floods damaged several homes at Khonmoh and Balhama on the outskirts of Srinagar during the intervening night of August 10 and 11, officials here said. 330 affected families have been provided necessary assistance and some evacuated to safer places whereas paddy crops and orchards, saffron fields spread over more than 400 acres of land were washed away or damaged, 318 homes and other structures also suffered damage. Wakha village in Kargil district has also been hit by cloudburst and resultant flash floods rendering scores of people homeless, reports said.
Also, their livestock has perished and standing crops washed away. Army has stepped in to help the affected people.
Meanwhile, around 100 American nationals have been affected by the flash floods in Leh, the US said, adding its embassy in New Delhi has dispatched a team to the region to provide them necessary help.
“Roughly a hundred Americans have been affected by the floods in India thus far. We have no reported deaths or injuries at this time,” US state department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. “We’re working closely with Indian authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens across the region who are affected by this,” he said.
“A team of officers from the US embassy in New Delhi have been dispatched to Leh to provide assistance to US citizens in the area who have been mostly affected by this,” Mr Crowley said.
He added that the largest number of Americans affected by flood in India is in Leh.
Earlier, USA and UK had advised its citizens to avoid travel to Leh in view of the recent flash flooding in the region, which is a favourite destination for foreign tourists. A total of 166 people, including 23 foreigners, were killed in flash floods caused by cloudburst that devastated Leh last Friday. More than 400 people are still missing.