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| Floods Kill Hundreds in India and Pakistan | |
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| NEW DELHI — Relief operations continued Monday in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir and in parts of Pakistan where six days of rain and flooding have left hundreds of people dead, with the death toll likely to rise further. | NEW DELHI — Relief operations continued Monday in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir and in parts of Pakistan where six days of rain and flooding have left hundreds of people dead, with the death toll likely to rise further. |
| On the Pakistan side of the border, Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority said that 194 people had been killed — 63 in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir and 131 in Punjab Province. | On the Pakistan side of the border, Ahmed Kamal, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority said that 194 people had been killed — 63 in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir and 131 in Punjab Province. |
| In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, more than 150 people have been killed by the floods, with 140 dead in the Jammu region, according to the office of the divisional commissioner there, and at least 11 in the Kashmir Valley. The death toll is expected to rise, as parts of the Kashmir Valley were inundated and nearly inaccessible. | In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, more than 150 people have been killed by the floods, with 140 dead in the Jammu region, according to the office of the divisional commissioner there, and at least 11 in the Kashmir Valley. The death toll is expected to rise, as parts of the Kashmir Valley were inundated and nearly inaccessible. |
| Water levels rose to 15 to 18 feet in parts of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday evening, when the Jhelum River breached its banks at several sites in the city, according to a statement from the Indian Army on Monday. | Water levels rose to 15 to 18 feet in parts of Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, on Sunday evening, when the Jhelum River breached its banks at several sites in the city, according to a statement from the Indian Army on Monday. |
| “For the next 48 hours our focus will remain on Srinagar and areas of south Kashmir because there are still a very large number of people stranded without food and water, and our idea is to pull them as quickly as possible,” Lt. General D.S. Hooda, chief of the Indian Army’s Northern Command, said at a news conference in Udhampur, Jammu, on Monday afternoon. | “For the next 48 hours our focus will remain on Srinagar and areas of south Kashmir because there are still a very large number of people stranded without food and water, and our idea is to pull them as quickly as possible,” Lt. General D.S. Hooda, chief of the Indian Army’s Northern Command, said at a news conference in Udhampur, Jammu, on Monday afternoon. |
| Telephone networks in Srinagar were down for much of Monday, and the police, army and special police forces in the city could not be reached. | Telephone networks in Srinagar were down for much of Monday, and the police, army and special police forces in the city could not be reached. |
| Shakeela Rahman, 34, has spent the past few nights sleeping on a divider on a road that connects Bemina, where she lives, to Srinagar. She fled her home with her two small children early Friday morning, after water started flowing into houses there. | Shakeela Rahman, 34, has spent the past few nights sleeping on a divider on a road that connects Bemina, where she lives, to Srinagar. She fled her home with her two small children early Friday morning, after water started flowing into houses there. |
| “We have not eaten anything, my kids are starving, and our house is completely submerged under water,” Ms. Rahman said. Nearby, a camp for the Central Reserve Police Force was also flooded, and its personnel had spent the evening sleeping in buses parked outside. | “We have not eaten anything, my kids are starving, and our house is completely submerged under water,” Ms. Rahman said. Nearby, a camp for the Central Reserve Police Force was also flooded, and its personnel had spent the evening sleeping in buses parked outside. |
| In Srinagar’s Karan Nagar neighborhood, where Ahmad Mujtaba, his wife and three children were trying to reach the higher parts of the city, the water level rose several feet on Sunday. | In Srinagar’s Karan Nagar neighborhood, where Ahmad Mujtaba, his wife and three children were trying to reach the higher parts of the city, the water level rose several feet on Sunday. |
| “No one came to help us,” he said. “People are still trapped inside their buildings, children are dying and the government’s rescue operations have failed.” | “No one came to help us,” he said. “People are still trapped inside their buildings, children are dying and the government’s rescue operations have failed.” |
| O.P. Singh, an official with the Indian National Disaster Response Force, said that rescue efforts were slow in parts of Srinagar. | O.P. Singh, an official with the Indian National Disaster Response Force, said that rescue efforts were slow in parts of Srinagar. |
| “We are facing some difficulty, and there is no communication with our rescue teams,” said Mr. Singh, an official with India’s National Disaster Response Force. | “We are facing some difficulty, and there is no communication with our rescue teams,” said Mr. Singh, an official with India’s National Disaster Response Force. |
| “It is practically impossible to go through the area with boats,” he said of parts of Srinagar. He said rescue operations in those areas had just begun, with Indian Air Force helicopters ferrying boats and rescue personnel between hard-to-reach areas of town, where they were collecting stranded people and bringing them to relatively safer areas. | “It is practically impossible to go through the area with boats,” he said of parts of Srinagar. He said rescue operations in those areas had just begun, with Indian Air Force helicopters ferrying boats and rescue personnel between hard-to-reach areas of town, where they were collecting stranded people and bringing them to relatively safer areas. |
| The army has evacuated about 22,000 people, with 3,000 removed on Sunday, according to an army statement. The army distributed food, water, tents and blankets on Monday. | The army has evacuated about 22,000 people, with 3,000 removed on Sunday, according to an army statement. The army distributed food, water, tents and blankets on Monday. |
| Part of the army quarters in Srinagar was flooded, and 900 army personnel had to be evacuated. Hospitals in Srinagar were also submerged. | Part of the army quarters in Srinagar was flooded, and 900 army personnel had to be evacuated. Hospitals in Srinagar were also submerged. |
| Aerial images of the Kashmir Valley on Indian news channels showed entire neighborhoods submerged, with only roofs and treetops visible over muddy waters. People in Srinagar waded through hip-deep water, carrying children on their shoulders. | Aerial images of the Kashmir Valley on Indian news channels showed entire neighborhoods submerged, with only roofs and treetops visible over muddy waters. People in Srinagar waded through hip-deep water, carrying children on their shoulders. |
| Sameer Ahmed Ganyie, who operates a small boat that he uses to ferry tourists on Dal Lake in Srinagar, said in a phone interview Monday morning that he was stranded at a hotel on the lake. Later, the water level reached the second story, and he attempted to take refuge on one of the many houseboats that dot the lake. | Sameer Ahmed Ganyie, who operates a small boat that he uses to ferry tourists on Dal Lake in Srinagar, said in a phone interview Monday morning that he was stranded at a hotel on the lake. Later, the water level reached the second story, and he attempted to take refuge on one of the many houseboats that dot the lake. |
| Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, calling the floods “a national disaster.” In a newss release, he also expressed his “anguish at the loss that has been caused in neighbouring areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.” | Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, calling the floods “a national disaster.” In a newss release, he also expressed his “anguish at the loss that has been caused in neighbouring areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.” |
| He announced $166 million in aid to the Jammu and Kashmir state government for flood relief for the people affected, to supplement the state’s own disaster relief fund. | He announced $166 million in aid to the Jammu and Kashmir state government for flood relief for the people affected, to supplement the state’s own disaster relief fund. |
| Mr. Modi also wrote to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan on Sunday. “I offer any assistance that you may need in the relief efforts that will be undertaken by the Government of Pakistan. Our resources are at your disposal wherever you need them,” he wrote. | Mr. Modi also wrote to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan on Sunday. “I offer any assistance that you may need in the relief efforts that will be undertaken by the Government of Pakistan. Our resources are at your disposal wherever you need them,” he wrote. |
| Relations between India and Pakistan were strained last month when India called off foreign-secretary-level talks with Pakistan after a Pakistani envoy met with Kashmiri separatist leaders in India. | Relations between India and Pakistan were strained last month when India called off foreign-secretary-level talks with Pakistan after a Pakistani envoy met with Kashmiri separatist leaders in India. |
| The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan on Sunday expressed “deepest condolences over the loss of precious lives of our Kashmiri brethren on both sides of the Line of Control,” the contested border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan on Sunday expressed “deepest condolences over the loss of precious lives of our Kashmiri brethren on both sides of the Line of Control,” the contested border dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. |