Azad, medical team to reach Leh Saturday
By IANSFriday, August 6, 2010
NEW DELHI - Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad along with a seven-member medical team will Saturday visit Leh town of Jammu and Kashmir, where at least 115 people were killed and over 350 injured in flash floods triggered by a massive cloudburst.
The seven-member team comprising a public health specialist, two orthopaedic surgeons, two surgeons and two anaesthetists will cater to the medical needs of the injured, an official said.
Four doctors are from Safdarjung hospital, two from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and one from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases.
“The minister and doctors were supposed to leave today (Friday) but due to the closure of the airport they will go Saturday morning,” the official said.
The cloudburst occurred at Choglamsar village, which is situated above Leh. Flash floods and mudslides followed the cloudbursts, unleashing the tragedy on the town Thursday night.
Leh, situated at 3,524 mt above sea level, is spread over 45,110 sq km, and comprises the main town and 12 adjacent villages.
