Thousands of rescue workers continued the search for survivors on Saturday after deadly flash floods hit northern Pakistan and neighboring India.

The death toll from the floods, which were triggered by heavy monsoon rains this week, has climbed steadily as rescue efforts pick up pace after two days of torrential downpours.

Floods leave hundreds dead in northern Pakistan

In Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, at least 344 people have died, according to authorities. 

The National Disaster Management Authority said 324 deaths have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a mountainous province in northwestern Pakistan.

In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, 11 more people were killed, while nine others died in the neighboring region of Gilgit-Baltistan, officials said.

Most were swept away by flash floods or died after houses and buildings collapsed.

Rainfall was still hindering the efforts of some 2,000 rescue workers who are trying to recover bodies from muddy debris, as well as trying to locate survivors and provide relief.

"Heavy rainfall, landslides in several areas, and washed-out roads are causing significant challenges in delivering aid, particularly in transporting heavy machinery and ambulances," Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's rescue agency spokesman Bilal Ahmed Faizi told AFP news agency.

A heavy rain alert has also been issued for northwest Pakistan, with people being urged to take "precautionary measures."

Disaster declared in several districts

Road closures in the remote areas have also hindered access for heavy vehicles to help shift the debris.

"Many more people may still be trapped under the debris, which local residents cannot clear manually," Buner district deputy commissioner Kashif Qayum Khan said. 
 
The provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has said the worst affected districts of Buner, Bajaur, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra and Battagram have been declared as disaster-hit areas.

Helicopter crash kills five on board

A helicopter taking part in the rescue efforts crashed in Pakistan on Friday, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said in a statement.

"An MI-17 helicopter of the provincial government, carrying relief goods for rain-affected areas of Bajaur, crashed in the Pandiyali area of Mohmand district due to bad weather," Ali Amin Gandapur said in a statement. "Five crew members, including two pilots, were killed."

India: 60 dead, 80 missing in Chositi

Rescuers were searching for survivors in the remote Himalayan village of Chositi in India-administered Kashmir on Friday after flooding killed at least 60 people there.

Officials said at least 300 people had been rescued on Thursday, but many of the 200 missing people were believed to have been washed away.

Chositi was crowded due to a pilgrimage to the shrine of Machail Mata, a local Hindu deity. The village is the last spot accessible by vehicles before pilgrims trek more than 8 kilometers (nearly 5 miles) to the temple.

"Nature has been testing us. In the last few days, we have had to deal with landslides, cloudbursts and other natural calamities," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of a nearly two-hour speech on the country's 79th Independence Day.

Cloudbursts worsened by climate change

Intense rains over small areas, known as cloudbursts, are becoming increasingly common in India's Himalayan regions and northern Pakistan, making these areas prone to flash floods and landslides.

While the monsoon season from June to September brings about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall, which is crucial for crops, it also brings landslides and flash floods.

Experts say that climate change has worsened cloudbursts in recent years, and damage has increased due to unplanned development in mountainous areas.

A study by the World Weather Attribution found rainfall in Pakistan from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavier, particularly in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, because of climate change.

Edited by: Rana Taha and Wesley Dockery