Rains pile misery on Pakistan, India

Srinagar: A sudden downpour and flash floods swept away houses and killed at least 113 people in Indian-controlled Kashmir's normally arid, mountainous region of Ladakh, officials said yesterday.

At least 370 people were injured, and troops were pulling survivors from knee-deep mud and rubble yesterday in the popular Himalayan tourist destination. The deluge came as neighbouring Pakistan suffered from the worst flooding in decades, with millions displaced and 1,500 dead.

The airport in Leh, the main town in Ladakh, was damaged, most communications were cut and rescue efforts were being hampered by gushing water and debris, state police chief Kuldeep Khoda said.

It was still unclear how many people have been left homeless, but Khoda said at least 2,000 displaced people had been housed in two government-run shelters.

Meanwhile, stormy weather grounded helicopters carrying emergency supplies to Pakistan's flood-ravaged northwest yesterday as authorities said 12 million people had been affected and 650,000 houses destroyed in the disaster.

US military personnel waiting to fly Chinooks to stranded communities in the upper reaches of the hard-hit Swat Valley were frustrated by the storms, which dumped more rain on a region where many thousands are living in tents or crammed into public buildings.

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said it was the worst flooding in Pakistan's 63-year history.