Dhaka, July 9 -- Thirteen people were dead and at least three dozen were missing after a cloudburst triggered flash floods near the Himalayan Hindu cave shrine of Amarnath in Indian Kashmir, an official said here on Friday.

During the annual pilgrimage, tens of thousands of Hindus cross glaciers and waterlogged trails to reach the cave which contains an ice stalagmite considered to be a physical manifestation of the god Shiva, reports Reuters.

A rescue operation has recovered eight dead bodies after the cloudburst near the cave, said Kashmir police chief Vijay Kumar. "Some tents and community kitchens have washed away in the flash flood."

Another official who was unauthorized to speak to the media, said the death toll was larger, at 13...