Flash floods have swept through a Himalayan village in northern India, killing at least four people and leaving more than 50 missing, according to officials, who warned that the toll could rise further.

Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season. Cloudbursts have the potential to wreak havoc by causing intense flooding and landslides,