At least four people have died and around 40 more are feared missing after a cloudburst occurred in Gulabgarh, an area of Jammu and Kashmir UT on Wednesday.
Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as well as the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to the affected area in the Kishtwar District to carry out search and rescue missions.
"I have spoken to the Lt. Governor (LG) & the Director General of Police (DGP) of J&K regarding the cloudburst in Kishtwar. SDRF, army officials as well as local administrative bodies are carrying out the rescue operations. NDRF is also reaching out there. Our priority is to save as many lives as possible," India's Home Minister Amit Shah was quoted as saying.
The Indian Air Force has also been contacted for air-lifting the people injured in the incident, Ashok Kumar Sharma, deputy commissioner of the region, told the media.
Visuals from the site showing the muddy landscape drenched in water have emerged on social media. The water level in the Chenab River has also risen in the wake of the cloudburst, videos show.
Earlier this week, one person died and around 10 were reported missing in the Lahaul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh state after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the Himalayan region. Search operations are underway.