Jump to content

2010 Ladakh floods

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MystBot (talk | contribs) at 10:03, 16 August 2010 (robot Adding: fr:Inondations de 2010 à Leh). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

2010 Leh floods
Date6 August 2010
LocationLeh
Deaths165 killed, 200 missing

The 2010 Leh floods occurred on August 6, 2010 in Leh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (Disputed Area) . At least 165 people died[1][2] (disputed reports suggested five foreign tourists were killed[3]), and thousands were injured as heavy rains overnight caused flash floods and mudslides.[4] Thousands more were rendered homeless according to government officials. [5] 200 people were still missing following the floods.[1][3][2]

Background

Leh city is the largest town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. It is on a plateau at around 3500 meters above sea level and usually receives very little rainfall.[6] It is predominantly Buddhist and popular with tourists for its natural beauty.[4] August is the peak tourist season when thousands of western backpackers flock the area. Described as a 'high altitude desert' the area has sparse rainfall and a heavy downpour is a rare occurrence.[7] Leh receives about 80,000 foreign and 100,000 domestic tourists annually.[8]

Flooding

Wikinews has related news:

The flash floods happened after a night of heavy downpour. The rains came after midnight and surprised everyone.[9] The rains were triggered by a cloudburst that happened between 12:30 AM and 1 AM.[10] Many buildings were destroyed including Hospitals, bus terminals, radio station transmitter, telephone exchange and mobile-phone towers.[6] The local bus station was damaged and some of the buses were carried more than a mile by the mud.[7] The city's airport was damaged but this was repaired and relief flights were expected to come in the following day. The village of Choglamsar on the outskirts of the city was particularly badly hit.[4] All of the estimated 3000 tourists in the area including 1000 foreigners were safe according to local officials.[8]

Response

The rescue efforts were hampered by gushing water and mud which was 10 feet high in places. In addition many of the roads leading to Leh were damaged making it difficult to truck relief supplies in.[7] Four hundred critically wounded people were evacuated and some were admitted to army hospital in Leh.[6] Indian Army soldiers launched a massive rescue operation.[11] Home minister P. Chidambaram said that over 6000 security personnel were deployed in Leh for rescue operations. Prime minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief and announced compensation of 100,000 rupees to the kin of deceased and 50,000 Rupees for those injured.[6] Chief Minister of the state Omar Abdullah directed the administration to undertake relief effort on a war footing.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Wivell, David (August 10, 2010). "Man trapped for 50 hours after landslides in China". Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b News, m & c (August 8, 2010). "137 dead, more than 400 missing in Indian Kashmir floods". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved 8 August 2010. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ a b Bodeen, Christopher (August 8, 2010). "Asia flooding plunges millions into misery". The Associated Press. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Polgreen, Lydia (6 August 2010). "Mudslides Kill 125 in Kashmir". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Flash floods kill dozens in India". BBC. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d Peerzada, Arshad (6 August 2010). "Flash floods kill 114 in India-controlled Kashmir". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Hussain, Aijaz (6 August 2010). "Flash floods kill 103 in Indian-held Kashmir". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  8. ^ a b "All 3,000 tourists in Leh safe". Hindustan Times. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  9. ^ Ahmad, Mukhtar (6 August 2010). "Death toll from Kashmir flooding rises to 112". CNN. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  10. ^ Bukhari, Shujaat (6 August 2010). "115 killed in Leh flash floods". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  11. ^ Pasricha, Anjana (6 August 2010). "Flash Floods in India's Remote Himalayan Region Kills More Than 60". Voice of America. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Flash floods devastate Kashmir town". Al Jazeera English. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2010_Ladakh_floods&oldid=379192346"