SRINAGAR – Torrential floods triggered by a powerful cloudburst ripped through a Himalayan mountain village in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Thursday, leaving dozens feared dead and scores injured, AFP reported.
According to initial reports from Kishtwar district officials, around 50 people may have been swept away by the raging waters. Rescue teams, already hampered by damaged roads and ongoing heavy rainfall, are struggling to reach the affected areas.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation, with damaged homes teetering on the edge of mud-filled streams. Sushil Kumar, a resident of Atholi village, told AFP he saw at least 15 bodies brought to a local hospital.
Authorities have so far recovered 12 bodies, though the toll is expected to rise. Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed “deep sorrow” over the tragedy, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office warned of potentially “substantial” casualties.
The disaster comes just days after floods on August 5 swept away the Himalayan town of Dharali in Uttarakhand, burying it in mud and leaving over 70 feared dead. Experts warn that climate change, combined with unplanned development, is increasing the frequency and severity of such monsoon-season disasters across South Asia.
