Thousands rescued at flood-hit Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN
Associated Press

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Emergency workers have rescued thousands of pilgrims after flash floods triggered by sudden rains swept through their makeshift camps during an annual Hindu pilgrimage to an icy Himalayan cave in Indian-controlled Kashmir. At least 16 people have died and dozens are injured. Authorities suspended the pilgrimage for two days as rains continued to lash the region. Teams of rescuers combed through the slippery mountain tracks and used sniffer dogs and through-the-wall radars to locate dozens of missing amid inclement weather. Civilian and military helicopters evacuated the injured to hospitals. The heavy rain Friday evening near the mountain cave revered by Hindus sent a wall of water down a gorge and carried away about two dozen camps and two makeshift kitchens.