Saboo village in Leh completely flattened by cloudburst

It was a model village for the entire district, a pride for its residents but the cloudburst changed everything.

Being developed under the prime minister's reconstruction programme for Jammu and Kashmir, Saboo village was selected by the local administration to be a role model. 

A model village meant proper drinking water supplies, electricity, tarred roads, cleanliness among others which other villages lack.

But on the intervening night of August 5 and 6, everything changed.

According to the local administration officials, the village was badly hit by the cloudburst. 

What was earlier a village of pride, has now been completely flattened. 

Smashed cars and a heap of rubble can be seen in all corners of the village. Till now 15 bodies have been recovered from the village.

But a full fledged rescue operation is yet to take place. This is because the once tarred roads leading in and out the village have been damaged.

Large boulders are now seen in the place where the roads stood once. Because of this, heavy earth moving equipment can't
reach the village.

Even though relief operations have been initiated in the area by both ITBP and Army, one has to trek for about 3 kms to reach the village.

The ITBP has set up food stalls and have also distributed blankets to those affected. 

"Our effort is to ensure that the roads are open so that rescue operations could be carried out in a better way," said Tashi Tsetan, deputy director with the development wing of the local administration.