SRINAGAR, JULY 28

Dozens of villagers were missing in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Wednesday after flash floods destroyed their houses, killing at least four people, officials said.

More than 160 people have died in India during the past week as a result of heavy rains.

The army and State Disaster Response Force have joined the search, federal minister Jitendra Singh said on Twitter, with some 36 people unaccounted for after the torrents of water swept down a narrow valley in the Kishtwar district of Kashmir.

Hilly areas in northern India like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall this week, the India Meteorological Department said.