Dozens dead in flash floods on popular Himalayas pilgrimage route
Flash floods have killed 46 people in a village hosting Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The flooding took place in the remote village of Chositi in Kishtwar district, which is on a busy pilgrimage route to a famous shrine in the Himalayas.
Videos shared online showed dramatic flood waters, vehicles being washed away and rescuers searching for survivors in damaged homes, as people cried in the streets, some caked in mud.
Dozens of pilgrims have been evacuated to safety, but at least 50 people are feared missing, and a rescue operation is still under way.
The floods were triggered by a cloudburst, officials said, with Federal Minister Jitendra Singh, who is also an MP from Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was on a “massive scale” and rescue teams were finding it difficult to reach the site.
A road had been washed away, he said, and the weather was not safe enough for helicopters.
