A man who was to have been wedded last night at a temporary shelter in Srinagar
In Srinagar, the capital of flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir, a shopping complex under construction serves as a dingy temporary shelter. Crowding it are people who fled their homes as a swollen Jhelum washed into the city, turning it into a giant lake.
A man who was to have been wedded last night, says, "Everything was lost. All that we had sank. We have nothing left."
A young woman clutches her baby to her, silent tears rolling down her face. There are more children in the room crowded with people and the few utensils they could bring with them. Many of them are hungry, but food was left behind, says a man who explains how his family waited for someone to rescue them before leaving in a rush as the water started rising.
"We sat in hope but no one came. No one from the government came to rescue us and then our homes were submerged," he said.
Those in this temporary shelter are safe for the moment. There are many more people in Srinagar, stranded without access to shelter. Many have climbed the highest floors of buildings like hospitals and are awaiting rescue.
With phone lines - both mobile and land line connections down - many of those stranded have lost all contact with their families and friends outside since last night.
Five days of incessant rain caused the mighty Jhelum to swell and breach its embankment to flow into the city. More than 150 people have died in Jammu and Kashmir in the worst floods in 60 years.