At least 56 people have died in Kashmir, in the Himalayas, as a result of mudslides caused by flooding. The severe weather occurred in Chisoti, a village in the part of Kashmir that is administered by India.
"We have found 56 bodies," said Mohammad Irshad of the Disaster Response Service. Earlier reports had put the death toll at 46. About 80 people are missing.
According to Irshad, 300 persons were injured, 50 of them seriously. They were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals.
Rescue teams are struggling to reach the area, where roads have already been damaged by several days of heavy storms.
The disaster zone is more than 200 kilometres from Kashmir's main city, Srinagar.
"All necessary assistance will be provided to people in need," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
This is the second such disaster to have occurred this month in India's Himalayan belt. On 5 August, the town of Dharali in the state of Uttarakhand was hit by floods and buried under mud. The death toll from that disaster is likely to exceed 70, but has not yet been officially confirmed.
Floods and landslides are common during India's Monsoon season, from June to September, but climate change, combined with poorly planned development, is increasing their frequency and severity.
