US sends team to Leh to help 100 Americans hit by floods

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON - The US Wednesday said a team of embassy officials has been sent to Leh to help around 100 Americans affected by the devastating flashfloods and underlined its solidarity with India in the wake of the tragedy.

“A team of officers from the US embassy in New Delhi has travelled to Leh to provide assistance to US citizens and others in the area,” US ambassador Timothy J. Roemer said in New Delhi.

“We are grateful to the government of India for their assistance on behalf of American citizens affected by this tragedy,” the US envoy said.

“As always, the US stands solidly beside India in its hour of grief,” he said. The envoy added that the US was working closely with the Indian authorities as well as other governments whose citizens have been affected by the floods to ensure their safety and wellbeing of our citizens.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said “roughly a hundred Americans have been affected by the floods in India thus far. We have no reported deaths or injuries at this time”.

The toll in the devastating flash floods caused by the sudden cloudburst in Leh town in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ladakh region has gone up to 167, including five foreigners, while around 200 people are still missing, officials said.

More than 150 foreign tourists trapped in Leh were relocated to safer places on Tuesday as the Indian Army and Indian Air Force intensified its rescue and relief operations, officials said.