Five persons were killed, and more than 30 still missing, after a cloudburst early on Wednesday.
This was caused by heavy rains that swept away parts of remote villages in India’s Jammu and Kashmir State, officials said.
Five bodies had been found so far and around 36 people are missing from Honjar Dacchan village, a senior police official of Kishtwar district, Shafqat Bhat, said.
Several structures, including eight homes, were swept away in the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst, NDTV news channel reported.
Bhat said efforts were on to trace the missing persons. With more rain forecast over the next few days, district authorities have asked people living along water bodies and landslide-prone areas to remain vigilant.
The local weather office in Srinagar has issued an advisory, warning of widespread rains that may lead to flash floods, mudslides and landslides besides water logging in low-lying areas in parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Landslides and floods are common during India’s monsoon season, which runs from June to October.
The rains are vital to agriculture but often caused immense destruction to property and crops, leading to the loss of hundreds of lives.
