Flash floods and landslides triggered by intense monsoon rains killed at least 19 people across two Indian regions on Sunday, according to local officials and emergency services. In the northern union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, at least 11 people died in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, while in the northeastern state of Nagaland, another eight were killed in the town of Mon, near the Myanmar frontier. Rescue operations continued into the evening as authorities warned that the toll could rise, with several people still unaccounted for.

In Jammu and Kashmir, heavy overnight rainfall caused rivers to overflow and hillsides to collapse. In Poonch’s Surankote tehsil, a cloudburst triggered a landslide that buried a house, killing six members of a single family, according to local police. Elsewhere in the district, flash floods swept away homes and vehicles, and at least four others were reported missing. In Rajouri, flooding forced hundreds to evacuate low-lying areas and claimed lives, including that of a woman whose body was recovered from a river. The chief minister, Omar Abdullah, cut short a trip to New Delhi to oversee relief efforts, while the lieutenant governor directed emergency teams to provide immediate assistance. Initial reports gave conflicting death tolls for the region, ranging from 10 to 12, with officials citing ongoing search operations.

In the remote Mon district of Nagaland, incessant rain triggered landslides in at least 11 locations, burying houses and blocking roads. The district magistrate confirmed eight dead and 15 injured, while rescue personnel struggled to reach affected areas because of persistent rainfall and unstable terrain. A local lawmaker described “widespread destruction” and said continuous landslides were hindering rescue efforts. The state government announced compensation for the victims’ families and deployed disaster response teams, alongside the army and paramilitary forces, to clear debris and search for the missing.

Both regions were under severe weather warnings from the India Meteorological Department, which forecast extremely heavy rainfall for the next two days. The monsoon is in an active phase across northern and eastern India, with flooding also reported in other Himalayan states. Authorities in Kashmir suspended the annual Amarnath and Vaishno Devi pilgrimages as a precaution. Monsoon-related disasters are common in South Asia at this time of year, but the intensity of Sunday’s events overwhelmed local infrastructure. Relief camps were being set up and damage assessments were under way.

As of Sunday evening, rescue and search operations remained ongoing in both regions. The precise number of missing was unclear, with some local outlets reporting at least a dozen still unaccounted for. Officials urged residents to avoid riverbanks and landslide-prone areas. The provisional death toll stood at 19, with the expectation that it may increase as teams reach cut-off villages and continue sifting through debris.