Residents look on towards threatened houses as waters from the overflowing Tawi river rage past in Jammu (AFP)
The death toll from serious flooding in Kashmir climbed to nearly 120 on Sunday, with homes, military bases and hospitals inundated in the region's main city Srinagar as the Jhelum river overflowed its banks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew over the Kashmir valley. The worst flooding there in 60 years has submerged villages and ruined crops.
"This is a national level disaster," Mr Modi said. He announced 11 billion rupees ($180 million) in disaster relief payments, as well as compensation to victims and their relatives.
Although heavy rains abated on Saturday afternoon, flood waters rose sharply overnight in Srinagar, a city of 900,000, catching many people living in low-lying areas unawares.
"I could not save anything as the government did not issue any flood warning," said Abdul Aziz of Jawahar Nagar in Srinagar, who drove his family to safety when water entered their home at around 4 o'clock in the morning.
"The majority of my neighbours who were sleeping are still trapped in their homes," he said.
State elections in Jammu and Kashmir are due soon.
PM Modi met state chief minister Abdullah and other officials in Jammu. He also announced that 100,000 blankets, 5,000 tents and 50 tonnes of milk powder would be distributed to those forced from their homes.
Some 2,500 villages have been partially or completely submerged across the area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued.
Major roads - including the one to Srinagar airport - were under water, hampering relief efforts.
"The water level is decreasing in Jammu ... while the situation in Kashmir has worsened. In many areas, the ground floors are inundated with flood waters," Abdullah told reporters.
About 22 air force helicopters and four aircraft were deployed to evacuate stranded people and to deliver relief. About 120 army units and eight teams of police reservists, equipped with boats and life jackets, were in action.
"We have relocated 13,000 people from flood hit areas. We had a shortage of boats and 100 were airlifted today," said Rohit Kansal, the divisional commissioner for Kashmir
© Thomson Reuters 2014