India, Aug. 15 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday referred to natural disasters that have struck over the last fortnight and said central and state governments are jointly working on the rescue, evacuation, and rehabilitation operations.

"Nature is testing us...We have dealt with several natural calamities like landslides and cloudbursts in the last few days. Our thoughts are with the victims," he said in his Independence Day address.

The comments came a day after at least 38 people were killed after torrential rain triggered a flash flood in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, and swept away multiple structures along the route of an annual pilgrimage. Nine days earlier, flash floods at Dharali in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi dist...