The devastating cloudburst has done a lot of damage to the military establishment in this remote region where 26 army personnel are still missing after the disaster on the night of August 5. The Army today said most of the missing personnel are feared to have been buried under 20 to 25 feet of slush while a few could even have been washed away into areas under Pakistan's control. "The cloudburst has done a lot of damage to civilian as well as the military establishment," GOC of 14 Corps Lieutenant General S K Singh said here. Giving an overview of the extend of damage to the military establishment,he said small culverts and bridges used for going to many forward locations have been destroyed and it will take quite some time before these can be re-built. Talking about the missing army personnel in Tyakshi border post in Turtuk sector,about 150 metres from the Line of Control,Singh said too much of water got into one of the streams due to the cloudburst. "It turned into sort of a lake and breached the embankments bringing the complete hillside down," Singh said. He said unlike in other places where the height of slush is about 4 to 5 feet,it is about 20-25 feet where the army camp had once stood. "Our total losses are 26 (personnel) and I think the bulk of them would be buried under the rubble. However,it cannot be ruled out that some of them could have been washed away." The Shyok river flows through the area into the Northern Areas under Pakistan's control. Official sources said the Director General Military Operation (DGMO) has already informed the Pakistani counterparts about possibility of some army personnel being washed away there. The Lt Gen said two Junior Commissioner Officers and 15 personnel of other rank from Bihar Regiment and one JCO and eight others from the Raj Rif Regiment are missing. He said rescue operation is yet to be carried out there as roads have been completely destroyed. Sources said an aerial survey has been carried out and efforts are on to open the access points. Meanwhile,the Army said it was hopeful of reopening the two National Highways by the end of this week. "Our priority is to restore connectivity on the two National Highways for which we have put in all our resources," Singh said. Singh said as per the estimate,seven bridges are needed on the Zijia access and four on the Rohtang access. Two bridges near Leh were opened today. The official said opening of roads was a "combination of human effort and nature's coordination. We aim to restore connectivity by the end of this week provided the nature's blessings are with us." Army's efforts to open the Highway was hit earlier after heavy rains on Sunday washed away fresh portions. Singh said the cloudburst has set back the process of winter stocking by about 15 days. The situation in Leh and its worst-affected pockets remained grim on Monday with rescue operations going on at a frenetic pace even though the death toll has inched closer to 150 and several hundreds still missing. Indian Air Force's Western Air Command chief Air Marshal N A K Browne on Tuesday flew into Leh to oversee relief operations in the town devastated by cloudbursts last week. Browne,who is in charge of the northern sector,visited Leh airbase and inspected air bridge operations. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal R Sitaraman,an IAF spokesperson said. Browne's visit included a review of infrastructure of the Leh airbase,as well as meeting the station personnel,who restored full-fledged operations at the airbase within eight hours of the cloudburst which had covered the air station with a thick carpet of slush. As a result of their work,16 flights (both IAF and civil) were operated at the Leh airbase on Saturday and 22 flights on Sunday. During the visit,Browne carried a consignment of medical aid to the civil administration on his flight and handed them to the local administration. He also carried out an aerial survey of the base and held discussions on the situation with Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chauhan,who is already in Leh. Meanwhile,the village Saboo a model village for the entire district has been completely flattened. Saboo was being developed as a model village under the Prime Minister's reconstruction programme for Jammu and Kashmir. A model village showcases proper drinking water supplies,electricity,tarred roads,and clean surroundings among other features. But on the intervening night of August 5 and 6,everything unfortunately changed here. According to the local officials,the village was badly hit by the cloudburst. Smashed cars and a heap of rubble greets one at every corner of the village. Fifteen bodies have been recovered till now from here though a full-fledged rescue operation is yet to take place. The once-tarred roads leading to the village have been extensively damaged. Large boulders can be seen where the roads were making it impossible for heavy earthmoving machinery to reach the spot. Even though relief operations have been initiated in the area by both ITBP and the Army,one has to trek for about 3 kilometres to reach the village. The ITBP has set up food stalls and have also distributed blankets to those affected. Tashi Tsetan,Deputy Director with the development wing of the local administration,said: "Our effort is to ensure that the roads are open so that rescue operations could be carried out in a better way."
