Kashmir floods continue to abate, but over 4 lakh still stranded

Flood waters receded further in Kashmir Valley today, enabling rescue teams to evacuate another 2,000 stranded people and provide crucial supplies for people desperately waiting for help in submerged areas.

Hectic efforts are also under way to restore snapped telecom links which had hampered rescue work.

Kashmir's worst floods in 60 years have killed over 200 people, and left hundreds of thousands marooned without succour, including a large number of tourists from across India and abroad.

Minister of state in the prime minister's office Jitendra Singh arrived in Srinagar this morning to monitor the situation, reportedly on direct instructions from PM Narendra Modi. Other senior central government officials are expected to join him during the day.

Transport aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps are carrying out non-stop rescue and relief operations. The IAF has deployed the world's biggest helicopter, the MI-26, for rescue operations.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have also scaled up their rescue efforts.

Unfortunately, the Army Hospital in Srinagar is running out of power, with electricity grids snapped and its back-up sources running low. Some 20 critically ill patients have been evacuated from Srinagar.

Over 400,000 people are still stranded in Jammu and Kashmir.

Western Air Command has contacted the Golden Temple in Amritsar to help people in Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities of the chief Sikh sanctum have said they are providing ready-to-eat meals for people in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Leh district administration has decided to airlift 150 National Institute of Technology students to New Delhi. The 400-500 students of NIT Srinagar, who were rescued from flood-affected, will be flown to New Delhi today in four planes.

Doing its bit, Indian Railways has sent 300,000 'Rail Neer' drinking water bottles to the state. The Delhi division of Northern Railway has made special arrangements for people coming from flood-affected areas. The Railways has opened help desks in Jammu, Udhampur and Katra: Railway spokesperson.

Early this morning, a flood control room was up at Andhra Bhawan in New Delhi.

Up to 8 am today, 2,10,000 litres of water, 2.6 tonne of biscuit, seven tonnes of baby food and 31,000 food packets had already been airdropped and distributed in flood-affected areas.