Soldiers paddle a raft as they assist Kashmiri residents during flood rescue operations near Srinagar. (Agence France-Presse)
Huddled with his elderly landlords on the top floor of his inundated home Srinagar, Parvaiz Bukhari can see neighbours making a desperate response to devastating floods.
"From my window I can see they all have their arms in the air, praying," Bukhari said in Jammu and Kashmir's capital Srinagar.
During the night the swollen Jhelum river burst its banks, flooding large parts of the picturesque city, following days of torrential monsoon rains across the state.
Despite calls to emergency services, Bukhari and his neighbours in the city's central Rajbagh area remain trapped, with the water reaching the second of their third floors by Sunday morning.
"I've seen a couple of boats go past but nobody has stopped," said Bukhari, AFP's reporter in Srinagar, adding that the water has risen to a height of about 12 feet (3.6 metres).
"We can't go out, the water is moving too fast. I can see gas cylinders, barrels, wood debris floating past," he added.
"We will have to move to the roof but we are also worried about the building collapsing."
Hundreds of soldiers, backed by helicopters and boats, have been deployed across the northern Himalayan state in recent days, following flash floods and landslides that have submerged whole villages and left nearly 120 people dead.
Many have pulled together to flee on foot to safety, packing into community centres and wedding halls on higher ground.
Photos showed residents wading through thigh-deep waters clutching their belongings, and huddled in army boats with blankets.
At Shri Maharaja Hari Singh, the city's oldest hospital, patients were moved to the upper floors after the waters hit.
"Those who were able to walk were helped to the upper floors by attendants, others were taken on wheelchairs in the elevator," said local businessman Fareeh Ahmed, who lives nearby.