1st LD: 16 buried after landslide hit Indian-controlled Kashmir

At least 16 people were buried under the debris of a residential house and mud on Monday after a landslide triggered by heavy rains hit Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The landslide hit village Laden of Budgam district, about 45 km south of Srinagr, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"This morning landslides drifted in a village in Budgam district hitting the houses and resulting in their collapse," Javid Mujtaba Gillani, inspector general of police told Xinhua. " We have reports that underneath the debris and mud of a house 16 people are buried."

Authorities rushed in Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel to the area to carry out rescue work.

"We can't confirm deaths at this stage because so far we haven' t retrieved any body from the spot," Gillani said. But locals put the number of missing around 21.

"A huge mount of earth from hillside fell upon the house, where three families were sleeping and there are least chances for any survivors underneath," Farooq Ahmad, a local resident said. "Now military, police and people are using diggers, spades and shovels to locate the inmates."

"Though residents in other houses managed to flee, however the inmates of this particular house were buried under huge mound," he said.

Hundreds of people fled their homes on Sunday after heavy rains caused water-logging in localities and pushed up water level in rivers.

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Monday issued flood alerts asking people to move to safer places.

The Meteorological Department officials have predicted rainfall and snow in the upcoming six days.

Last year, devastating floods hit the region, killing 300 people and leaving thousands more homeless. The loss to property and infrastructure due to floods was estimated around 16 billion U S dollars. Endi