56 dead, 50 injured in Kashmir flash floods

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 56 people have been killed and 50 others injured in flash floods triggered by torrential rains in Indian-administered Kashmir, media reports said on Friday.

The deluge struck Chisoti, a town in Kishtwar district, on Thursday morning, Al Jazeera reported.

Mohammed Irshad, a senior disaster management official, said 80 people were missing and 300 rescued — 50 of them severely injured and taken to nearby hospitals.

Irshad told AFP that “56 dead bodies were recovered” before rescue operations were halted for the night. Officials warned the death toll could rise as many homes were damaged or swept away.

Sushil Kumar, a resident of Atholi village, told AFP: “I saw at least 15 dead bodies brought to the local hospital.”

District commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma said, “There are chances of more dead bodies being found.”

The India Meteorological Department defines a cloudburst as a sudden, extreme downpour exceeding 100mm (four inches) of rain in an hour, often causing flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas during the monsoon.

kk/sa