1st LD Writethru: 7 feared killed in Kashmir landslide house collapse

At least seven members of a family were feared killed Friday after their house was hit by a massive landslide, due to rains in Indian- controlled Kashmir, police said.

The house came under mud and buried the residential house along with inmates at village Dawalkund of Doda, 255 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"This morning, a landslide drifted in a village in Doda district, hitting a residential house, resulting in its subsequent collapse," a police official posted at police control room in Jammu told Xinhua.

"We have reports that seven members of a family inside the house too were buried and are feared killed."

Authorities have rushed police personnel and civil administration officials to the village to carry out rescue work, and search for survivors.

"So far we have not been able to pull out any survivor or the body from mud and debris of the house," the official said.

Officials said the area received heavy rains overnight.

On Monday, 16 people were killed in a similar incident at village Laden of Budgam district of the region.

Rescuers pulled out 15 bodies from the debris. However, search for the missing one member was still going on.

Hundreds of people fled their homes earlier this week in the wake of incessant rains causing water-logging in localities, and pushing up water level in rivers and water bodies.

Authorities issued flood alerts asking people to move to safer places.

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 in the region and killed 300 people. Endi