16 foreign tourists missing in Kashmir floods

At least 16 foreign tourists from Indonesia and Germany are among those still missing in the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said Thursday.

Officials at the Jammu and Kashmir House here said officials from the Indonesian and German embassies in the capital have contacted them to enquire about the whereabouts of their citizens.

"We have noted down details of the missing people and forwarded these to the state control room in Jammu. Communication links have not been restored in many places. Many places continue to be water-logged," a state government official told IANS.

The official said there was a possibility of more foreigners being reported missing.

A control room has been set up at the Jammu and Kashmir House for those who want to know details about their relatives and friends stranded in the state.

"The control room operations started Monday morning and over 250 people have approached us so far," the official said.

Officials here are also using satellite phones to establish communication links.

Officials of the Indonesian embassy, who had come to the Jammu and Kashmir House Thursday, said they were trying to find out about their citizens who could not be contacted.

"We express deep condolence for the tragedy in the state. We will also like to find the status of our people who are not reachable for the past few days. At least eight tourists of Indonesia are missing," an embassy official told IANS.

On Wednesday, a German woman, Sullz Berger-Ashai, had approached officials at the Jammu and Kashmir House saying that her husband, who hails from Kashmir, had gone missing in flood-hit Srinagar.

The woman told IANS that she got information from the German embassy that eight other German nationals have also been reported missing.

Srinagar is battling the worst floods in 60 years, which have left over 200 people dead. About four lakh people are still estimated to be marooned in Srinagar.