SRINAGAR: Soldiers were battling Sunday to rescue thousands trapped by worst flooding for half a century which has killed at least 150 people and left the main city of Srinagar under water.
Some 350 villages have also been submerged since torrential monsoon rains triggered flooding and landslides across the picturesque Himalayan region, officials said.
In Pakistan, flash flooding and house collapses from days of heavy rain have left another 193 people dead, an official there said.
The rain-swollen Jhelum river flooded large parts of Srinagar on Sunday and forced residents onto rooftops, with reports the first floors of a children's hospital and of another hospital were underwater.
Thousands of troops, police and other emergency personnel, backed by helicopters and boats, have been deployed across the state to reach those stranded, with at least 14,800 people rescued.
"Thousands of people are still stranded and we have rescued several thousands," police Inspector General of Jammu region, Rajesh Kumar, told AFP.
"More than 150 bodies have also been recovered so far. The exact number is hard to assess as we are still searching for bodies."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the region and met top relief officials, describing the situation as "a national-level disaster".
Modi also wrote to his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, offering his "deepest sympathies" to flood-hit victims on that side of the border and relief assistance.
"Our resources are at your disposal whenever you need them," Modi said in the letter released by his office.
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