Landslides after heavy rain in northern India kill 15, several missing

Visuals show muddy water gushing through the town of Sahastradhara in the nation’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand

Landslides and heavy rain in India's Himalayan state of Uttarakhand killed at least 15 people on Tuesday, with 16 missing, Indian media reported on Wednesday.

Visuals showed muddy water gushing through the town of Sahastradhara in the district of Dehradun on Tuesday, leaving destroyed shops, roads and houses, as people cowered behind walls.

"My shop was washed away," an unidentified resident told the ANI news agency, adding that it was one of seven shops swept away in a market. "There is no sign of them."

On Tuesday, officials retrieved 13 bodies from Dehradun and one each from the districts of Pithoragarh and Nainital, the Indian Express newspaper said.

Uttarakhand is prone to floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change.

In August, surging floodwater and a torrent of mud swept through the state's village of Dharali, with authorities saying more than 60 people remain missing.