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Five foreigners dead, 220 missing in floods in northern India

Other News Materials 11 August 2010 15:19 (UTC +04:00)
Five foreign tourists were among those killed in India's flood-hit Ladakh region and 220 foreigners were missing, officials said Wednesday, as the total death toll reached 167, dpa reported.
Five foreigners dead, 220 missing in floods in northern India

Five foreign tourists were among those killed in India's flood-hit Ladakh region and 220 foreigners were missing, officials said Wednesday, as the total death toll reached 167, dpa reported.

   The floods came after a cloudburst Thursday in the middle of the peak tourist season in Ladakh, a usually arid high-altitude region in the Himalayas.

   "According to the information we have, three French nationals, an Italian and a Spaniard were killed in the floods," said an officer at the special control room set up by the External Affairs Ministry.

   "At least 220 foreigners, including 51 French and six Germans are among the missing," he said. "By missing we mean not contactable," he added.

   Government officials earlier estimated that a total of 400 people including 28 soldiers were still missing.

   During operations on Tuesday, the Indian Air Force airlifted 81 foreign tourists who were stranded in Ladakh's Zanskar valley.

   Buddhist-majority Ladakh is a part of Jammu and Kashmir state. The region's many monasteries and adventure sports such as whitewater rafting, rappelling and trekking are a big draw for tourists.

    According to the Ladakh Administration's website, 76 foreigners of 15 different nationalities were housed at an army camp at Pang. Another eight trekkers of different nationalities were stranded in Biamah, a village in the Batalik area.

   Several hundred foreigners were stranded at regional capital Leh waiting to catch flights out.

   As the rescue and relief operations continued, authorities were trying to determine the extent of economic damage.

   "We feel that about 40 per cent of the infrastructure, including irrigation canals, link roads and bridges have been destroyed," Ladakh's senior official Chering Dorjay was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

   "Another 40 per cent has been partially damaged. Maybe 20 per cent is intact," he added.

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