NEW DELHI

At least four people died and 16 others went missing after heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods in northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said on Tuesday.

An official statement released by the state’s Emergency Operations Center noted that in the last 15 hours, amid heavy torrential rains, multiple cloudbursts took place, which triggered flash floods and landslides.

In the state's Mandi district, four people have died and 16 are missing.

Nearly 300 people have been rescued by the authorities from different places and houses damaged in floods.

State’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said multiple cloudbursts took place on Monday night, and the heavy rains had caused severe damage across the Himalayan state.

India's annual monsoon rains, starting in June, typically trigger flooding across several states. It continues till September.