Worst floods in 22 years kill at least 14

(4 Sep 2014) At least 14 people have died in the past two days in the Indian-held portion of Kashmir, after heavy rains and the worst floods in 22 years hit the area. Some residents in Srinagar were desperately wading through flood waters on Thursday, trying to evacuate their homes. Authorities closed schools and colleges and stopped train services in the area on Thursday. Those who died were swept away by floodwaters or buried by mud from mountain slopes, according to a police officer. Soldiers and rescue workers used boats to move thousands of people to higher ground. At least 100 villages across the Kashmir valley were flooded by overflowing lakes and rivers, including the Jhelum river, which was up to 1.5 metres (4 feet) above its danger level, officials said. Authorities evacuated 5,000 people from the neighbourhood and 100 others were believed to be stranded there. Meteorologists said the heavy rains were likely to continue for another two days. Landslides and floods are common in India during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   #kashmir #floods #flooding You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...