Islamabad - At least 24 people are feared dead due to flash
flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rain in
Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Monday, officials said.
"At least 24 people were swept away and have gone missing," said
Saeedur Rehman Qureshi from the State Disaster Management Authority
(SDMA) for Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
"We cannot declare the missing as dead at this juncture but have not
found any of the missing so far," he added.
He said five people were wounded in the incident.
The disputed Kashmir region is divided into two parts by a line of
control (LoC), the de facto border. Both Pakistan and India control
parts of Kashmir, but lay claim to the entire valley.
The incident took place in Leswa town of Neelam valley, a famous
tourist destination near the LoC, at around 3 am (2200 GMT Sunday).
Rain-triggered flooding, landslides and lightning destroyed a small
market in the town.
More than 100 houses were damaged while a mosque was swept away by
the flash flood, Qureshi said.
"The army is assisting the local administration in the rescue and
recovery mission," said Saqib Mumtaz, a spokesman for the National
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The authority has issued a flood advisory from July 13-19 due to
expected heavy rains and asked concerned authorities to take
precautionary measures during the forecast period.
The floods usually hit South Asia in monsoon season, which begins
from July and lasts until the end of August.