Pakistan says 22 missing in flash floods in Kashmir

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Heavy rains triggered flash floods in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, leaving at least 22 people missing and feared dead, Pakistan’s minister for disaster management in the disputed territory said Monday.

Ahmed Raza Qadri said the flooding late Sunday also caused a great deal of destruction and damage in the village of Lesswa in Neelum Valley, Ahmed Raza Qadri said.

Rescue workers had been unable to find the 22 people swept away by the waters, including two soldiers and 11 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat religious group, Qadri said.

Saeedur Rehman, a disaster management official, said efforts were being made to reach people stranded in their homes in the areas cut off by the flooding.

The disputed mountainous region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both countries in its entirety.