Monsoon downpours caused flash floods that killed 13 people in India’s Himalayan foothills, officials said Friday, with helicopters rescuing hundreds stranded near a renowned Hindu shrine. Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India’s treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. Thirteen deaths have been reported across the northern state of Uttarakhand so far, disaster official Vinod Kumar Suman told AFP. District officials said around 700 people were rescued by airlift while travelling to Kedarnath temple, a popular pilgrimage destination dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. “We are flying multiple choppers to bring down the pilgrims who were on their way,” Suman said. The temple sits nearly 3,600 metres (11,800 feet) above sea level and access is only possible in the summer via a gruelling 22-kilometre (14-mile) uphill trek. It is thronged by thousands of pilgrims each year at a time when the annual monsoon downpours are at their peak. Monsoon rains across the region from June to September offer respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies.