At least 40 feared dead in rains, landslides in northern India

At least 40 people were feared dead following a downpour that triggered flash floods and landslides in northern Indian Uttarakhand state over the weekend, a state official said.

Several more people were still missing, a spokesman at the state chief minister's office, Om Prakash Sati, said on Sunday, with remote Chamoli and Pithoragarh being the worst affected districts in the state.

The state has so far confirmed 18 deaths, of whom 15 were from Pithoragarh. The official toll was expected to rise.

Thousands were feared stranded as landslides blocked hundreds of roads. The state authorities have asked people in low lying areas to evacuate as a precautionary measure, he said.

Relief operations are under way, but incessant rains have hampered efforts and raised fears of flooding as rivers were close to their danger levels, Sati said.

"There is no need to panic," Uttarakhand's chief minister Harish Rawat told reporters, adding, more teams from the state, central authorities, and other relief forces have all been kept on high alert as a precautionary measure.

Several damaged roads have also been repaired, Rawat said.

Pakistan floods kill 28, including worshippers at mosque

Flash floods triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 28 people in northern Pakistan, officials said on Sunday, including some who were swept away while praying at a mosque.

Torrential rains began to pelt the Chitral district, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, on Saturday and continued into the night, residents said.

Maghferat Shah, Chitral district administrator, said some residents were missing after flash floods swamped a local mosque in Drosh town in Upper Chitral.

"The floodwater killed 10 people and caused serious injuries to 21 others at the mosque. Some of them had been swept away in the floodwater and are still missing," he said.

During the holy month of Ramadan it is common for people to pray at the mosque during night hours.

Shah said 18 people had been killed in other areas due to rain and flash floods, and there were fears the death toll will increase once rescuers reach remote mountainous areas.

Source: Reuters