At least 30 dead in northern India landslides, flooding

DEHRADUN , India, July 1 (UPI) -- Torrential rain prompted landslides, flash flooding and rising water in India's northern Uttarakhand state Friday, killing at least 30 people, the state government said.

The Pithoragarh and Chanoli districts were hardest hit with villages buried in mud, and people swept away by mud and debris rushing down slopes across the state in the foothills of the Himalayas. Two people were swept away by water traveling down a mountain in the village of Siron in Chanoli district.

The Pithorgarh district received 4 inches of rain in two hours Friday, and homes across seven villages were crushed, officials said, adding at least 25 people remain missing. India's National Disaster Response Force has mobilized and is proceeding to the area.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway, known as NH-58, was blocked by debris and landslides near Devprayag, hampering rescue operations.