Powerful torrents driven by intense rain smashed into a Himalayan mountain village in Indian-administered Kashmir and killed at least 37 people on Thursday, a top disaster management official told AFP.

It is the second major deadly flooding disaster in India this month.

"The news is grim," Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a statement, reporting a "cloudburst" of intense rain that had hit the Kishtwar district.

Crowds gathered at a Kishtwar hospital while people carried some of the injured on stretchers.

"Dead bodies of 37 people have been recovered," said Mohammad Irshad, a top disaster management official, adding there was no count of any missing people available.

Irshad told AFP 150 wounded people were also rescued from the disaster site "50 of whom are severely injured"

See Full Page