German chancellor writes to PM over Leh floods

NEW DELHI - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, expressing her sadness and concern over the casualties in the devastating flash floods in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.

“I have been greatly saddened by the news of the disastrous floods in the Ladakh region in which many people have been killed or injured,” wrote Merkel to Manmohan Singh, according to the German embassy Tuesday.

“Permit me at this difficult time to offer you my heartfelt condolences. Those who have lost their loved ones are especially in my thoughts. To all who have been injured I wish a speedy recovery,” said Merkel in her letter written Monday.

The toll in the catastrophic flash floods caused by Friday’s cloudburst in Leh has risen to 165. Around 81 foreign tourists were rescued by the Indian Air Force from Zanskar Valley of Ladakh region, police said Tuesday.