By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 22: The Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed concern and offered condolences to the victims of the flooding caused by the incessant rain over the weekend in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
In a letter to the Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Dalai Lama expressed concern for the loss of life, damage to property as well as the hardship that has befallen the people of the state, his office said Monday.
“I pray for them. I very much appreciate that the State Government and other agencies such as the national disaster relief teams are engaged in rescue and relief work and are doing their utmost to provide relief to people affected by this calamity,” the octogenarian leader wrote in the letter.
The 86-year-old’s trust has also made a donation of an unspecified sum of money for relief efforts that are underway in the state. He said that it is a “token of our solidarity with the people of Andhra Pradesh”.
The situation looks grim as the death toll climbed to 41 after 12 more deaths were reported on Sunday, according to Times of India. Arterial roads are blocked and train and bus services remained affected in many parts of the state including villages and towns in Tirupati, Chittoor, Rayalaseema and Nellore district.
