A man throws his belongings while being taken to safety after rain in Srinagar left many areas flooded
Six people have died in mudslides and hundreds of people have left their homes in Kashmir after heavy rain over the weekend raised fears of floods in the valley.
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Rescuers on Monday pulled out six bodies from a house that collapsed in landslides triggered by rain. Officials said at least 10 more are believed to be trapped.
Late last night, water levels crossed the danger mark in the river Jhelum, causing panic in a region devastated by floods seven months ago that left some 250 people dead and destroyed thousands of homes.
On Monday morning, the state government declared floods and over 200 families were moved to safety, most of them from Chadoora 15 km from Srinagar.
With more rain forecast for the next few days, officials have set up relief camps in Srinagar and urged people living near the Jhelum to move to safer areas.
All schools were closed on Monday and exams were postponed. The rain has been intermittent today and the water is receding.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to monitor relief operations.
"I hope and pray that we don't have to face the situation we faced in September. But there is no loss of communication or any major loss to roads," said former chief minister Omar Abdullah, whose defeat in the state polls last year was partly blamed on the poor handling of the floods.
The state government says personnel of the army and the National Disaster Response Force are in the flood-hit areas of Srinagar.
Reports said shikaras, or wooden boats, have been moved to various police stations for possible rescue operations if the flood worsens. The Srinagar-Jammu national highway continues to remain closed for the third straight day.
This year, in large parts of India, March has been the wettest month in more than a century, wrecking millions of hectares of winter crops.
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