More than 400 dead in historical flooding in India, Pakistan

The death toll from Kashmir’s heaviest rainfall in 50 years rose to more than 400 on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

Six days of heavy rainfall that began on Sept. 3 has submerged more than 2,000 villages near the border of India-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan in the Himalayan region, putting more than 1.5 million people in danger. Officials expect the conditions to worsen for the next few days and have told approximately 700,000 people to abandon their homes.

More than 22,000 people have been evacuated from homes in India, with 217 reported dead in Kashmir, Punjab province and other regions along the border. In Pakistan, 203 people have been reported dead in the disputed area along the border.

The Indian and Pakistani armies have been scrambling to rescue stranded victims and deliver food and other supplies via helicopters and boats, according to the Associated Press.

The rain destroyed not only houses but also bridges, crops and communication equipment. Additionally, it caused devastating landslides in both the Indian and Pakistani regions in Kashmir.

“The damage is shocking, people have been stranded on rooftops of their homes for the last three days in some parts of Kashmir,” a senior official of National Disaster Response Force told Reuters.

The Indian government has been scrutinized for the lack of readiness for such disaster, especially for failing to issue appropriate flood advisories.