By a widely accepted definition, a cloudburst means more than 100 mm of rainfall in one hour, over a small area.

Cloudbursts are causing chaos in mountainous parts of India and Pakistan, with tremendous amounts of rain falling in a short period of time over a concentrated area.

Floods triggered by cloudbursts and monsoon rains have killed around 400 people, with many more still missing, officials said. Rescue workers are desperately searching for survivors among the muddy debris.