India and Pakistan floods: Dozens dead in heavy rain and landslides as mosque washed away

At least 58 people are feared dead in northern Pakistan and India as monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides on 3 July. In Pakistan's Chitral district, authorities said that a mosque had been washed away during Ramadan prayers, killing several worshippers, including women and children.

Several houses in the district were also damaged as flash floods hit the local village of Arsun overnight on 2-3 July. At least 30 people are believed to have been killed by the flooding in the Chitral district alone, while a further 28 are believed to have died in floods and landslides in India's states of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Continued bad weather has hindered rescue efforts in both India and Pakistan, where people are beginning to flee their homes out of panic. An army post was also swept away during the flash floods and has left eight members of Pakistan's security forces missing, the BBC reported.

The Chitral district is a mountainous area in the far north of Pakistan, sharing a border with Afghanistan. The region was badly devastated during flooding last year, which left several people dead and destroyed a number of bridges.

In India, thousands have been left stranded as landslides buried villages and blocked roads, including a national highway. Authorities in the state of Uttarakhand, one of the worst affected areas, have asked people in low-lying areas to evacuate, but the state's chief minister, Harish Rawat, urged people not to panic.

Uttarakhand was badly hit by flooding and landslides during the monsoon rains of 2013, killing at least 600 people at the time. Later figures estimated that as many as 5,700 people were missing after the floods and were presumed dead.