NEW DELHI — Rescue workers have recovered 15 bodies from a house that collapsed after being hit by a landslide caused by torrential rains in the Indian-administered state of Jammu and in the north.
Officials said on Tuesday that they were still searching for a boy who had been in the home on Sunday when it was hit by the landslide, which destroyed a cluster of houses in the Budgam district. The boy is presumed to be dead.
Heavy rains in recent days have caused widespread flooding in northern India, with the Jhelum River rising to dangerous levels and pouring water into the streets of Srinagar, the summer capital of the state. On Tuesday, the waters receded slightly, and rescue workers helped some residents move to safer areas.
Officials said that the 15 bodies pulled from the home were from two families, one of which had sought shelter in the other’s home, believing it to be the safer location.
Jammu and Kashmir, the focus of a decades-long territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, suffered that killed more than 200 people. With more rain expected, the government has deployed disaster teams with rescue boats in several locations across the state this year, and Kashmir’s chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has called for the public to remain calm.