At least 23 people died and several others are missing after a cloudburst caused flash flood in the Neelum valley of the Pakistan-occupied area of Jammu and Kashmir.

Syed Al-Rehman Qureshi, Director of Operations, State Disaster Management Authority said a large number of homes in the Laswa area of the valley were damaged and dozens of people were swept away in the flooding caused by relentless rainfall after the cloudburst over night. He said several people, including women and children, are still missing.

Landslides were also reported in the area and officials said many structures in the Laswa’s main market, including two mosques, were completely destroyed. Teams including officials from the district administration, disaster management authority and local police are conducting rescue operations in the area.

Last week, a flood hit several villages in Golen Gol area of Chitral district after a glacial lake burst its banks overnight, toppling electricity poles and inundating roads and farmlands.