Flash floods in Indian Himalayas kill 4, and dozens are missing

Flash floods in the Indian Himalayas killed at least four people, officials said, as rescue workers searched for dozens of other people missing in the deluge.

Officials feared that the death toll could rise. Videos on social media showed a strong gush of muddy water and debris washing away homes and other tall structures in the state of Uttarakhand.

Teams from the Indian army and other forces were deployed to help with the rescue. But some officials said continuous rains, road closures and the threat of further landslides were complicating the rescue efforts.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand’s chief minister, said that, as of late evening, about 80 people had been rescued.

“Every life is important to us,” Dhami told reporters.

Prashant Arya, the district magistrate in Uttarkashi, the district in Uttarakhand with the worst damage, said the full extent of the death toll and destruction would take time to tally, as the focus remained on rescue efforts. He said communication lines in the area had been affected.

“A lot of water has come at once and suddenly,” Arya told Indian news outlets. “There are restaurants and guesthouses on the path.”

Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides. In 2013, the state suffered its deadliest floods, which left more than 6,000 people dead.

The monsoon rains this year have also brought losses and significant damage in the neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh. Official data shows that nearly 200 people have been killed over the past six weeks in disasters related to monsoon rains, with 300 others injured and three dozen missing.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.