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5 Westerners Among 185 Killed In Leh Floods

11 August 2010 19:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. As many as 185 people, including five Westerners, are now known to have died in flash floods which inundated the Leh region of Ladakh in India-administered Kashmir, reports said on Wednesday, APA reports quoting â€œRTT Newsâ€.
Besides, 220 foreign nationals have been listed as missing by local authorities.
The floods were triggered by a cloudburst on Thursday last while the popular tourist destination was awash with travelers soaking up its natural splendor.
According to a despatch from the special control room set up by India’s External Affairs Ministry, the five westerners killed were three French nationals, an Italian and a Spaniard.
A senior official from the Ladakh administration said it was quite possible that the death toll could go up as debris from buildings and homes devastated by the torrent are removed.
On Tuesday, 81 foreign tourists marooned in Ladakh’s Zanskar valley were flown out of the region by an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft.
As per data made available by local authorities, 76 foreigners from 15 countries had been put up at a camp belonging to the Indian Army at Pang while eight other tourists of varying nationalities were stranded in Biamah village.