Kashmir death toll reaches 39 after extreme flooding

The death toll in Indian-controlled Kashmir rose to 39 on Friday as severe flooding in the Himalayan region continued. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes, and light rain is expected to continue through late Saturday.

Officials told The Associated Press that a bus with more than 50 passengers "was swept away in a stream," and while four passengers swam to safety, the other passengers' whereabouts are unknown. A government official also told AP that 15 people were found beneath a collapsed house in the Poonch region.

The region is in the midst of "its worst monsoon flooding in more than two decades," AP reports. At least 100 villages in the Kashmir valley have been flooded, as have parts of the main city of Srinagar. Rescue workers have moved thousands of people to safety with boats, and the government has announced it is setting up rescue shelters as well.

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