Rescue operations continues on war-footing by Army & IAF in Leh

Leh/Jammu,August 10 (Scoop News) – The rescue and relief operations in Ladakh by the Army and Air Force continued on fifth day in Leh. Several Army columns continued to search for the missing persons.  

According to defence spokesperson the army recovered bodies of two missing soldiers from general area of Nimu.  The tourists stranded on the Leh-Manali highway are being moved to Manali. The group of stranded foreign tourists at Lamayuru and Biamah are being shifted to Kargil for onward move to Srinagar. The embassies of the foreign tourists have been intimated of their location and well being through the Army Headquarters.

          Meanwhile, the Army is providing succor to the locals in Ladakh, by providing them the basic amenities, cooked food and shelter. The critically ill patients are being evacuated to military hospitals in helicopters for treatment.  The traffic on both the highways connecting Leh to the rest of the country still remains suspended. The clearing of the highways and restoration of bridges is being done by the Army on a war footing.

          Lieutenant General BS Jaswal, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command visited Leh on  Tuesday.  He visited the locations affected by the cloud burst. He also visited the Military Hospital at Leh to get first hand information on the condition of the civilians and soldiers injured in the tragic natural calamity  Lieutenant General BS Jaswal, assured the civilians of the continued support of the Army for restoration of normalcy in the area. Till the last reports came in, 07 Army personnel and 152 civilians have died in the disaster.

          Meanwhile, Air Force carried out three MI-17 sorties and six cheetah sorties from Udhmapur base. 80 kgs Ready –to-eat meal given by District Administration were airlifted to Lamayaru, Rumse, Phyang. Four casualties have been spotted at Rumse which will be evacuated tomorrow. One IL-76 aircraft rescued 71 injured persons from Leh and airlifted to Udhampur along with nine casualties.

List of foreign nationals who EXPIRED at Leh:

1. Mr Augareils Hendri DOB 15.12.1951 PP No: OICA 40 2780 FRENCH

2. Mr. Hellot Jacques DOB 7.11.1950 PP No: 06AH077302 FRENCH 

3. Ms. Marro Mas Maria Lourdes DOB 2.1.1977 PP No AAA 83176 SPAIN

4. Mr Ricardo Pitton PP No: E 099875- ITALIAN

5. Mr Daniel Haury FRENCH

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