Thousands receive aid as flood waters recede in Kashmir

Flood waters have started receding in Indian Kashmir, giving rescue teams a chance to reach tens of thousands of villagers stranded by the heaviest rainfall 50 years.

Floods and landslides triggered by days of rain in the disputed Himalayan region have killed at least 450 people in India and Pakistan and cut off more than one million people from basic services.

The swollen Jhelum river flooded large parts of the city of nearly one million people, snapping communication lines as desperate families were forced to huddle on rooftops of houses and mosques for survival.

The Indian army has evacuated 76,000 people from their homes, mosques and government buildings. The death toll from the flooding in Jammu and Kashmir, the country's northernmost state, reached 220 by Wednesday.

In Pakistan, at least 231 people were reported to have been killed by the floods across the country, including Pakistan's side of Kashmir.