(MENAFN) Severe rainfall and flash floods struck regions of India and Pakistan on Friday, killing more than 280 people and leaving hundreds missing, officials reported. Rescue teams evacuated roughly 1,600 people from mountainous districts in both countries.

In India, a powerful cloudburst hit the village of Chasoti in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, claiming 46 lives and destroying homes, government buildings, temples, a bridge, a market, and vehicles. By Friday, the death toll had risen to 60, with about 75 people reported missing. The area, a key access point to a high-altitude Hindu shrine, saw its annual pilgrimage suspended.

The flooding quickly spread into Pakistan, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, displacing thousands and injuring dozens. Emergency services rescued around 2,000 tourists trapped by flash floods and landslides, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered further evacuations.

This disaster follows another Himalayan tragedy on August 5 in Uttarakhand, India, where flash floods killed five people and left at least 68 missing, including 24 Nepali nationals.

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