Three people were killed on Wednesday in rain-related incidents as the Indus River flooded Jammu and Kashmir's [Images] Ladakh region.

So far, 18 people have died due to the floods in the region.

Security forces mounted rescue and relief operations, with the Indian Army [Images] providing shelter to nearly 3000 people who were badly affected, sources said.

In Leh and Kargil [Images], the army shifted 1000 people to safer areas in the past 24 hours.

As Chief Minister Ghulam [Images] Nabi Azad arrived in Ladakh on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council urged the authorities to treat the disaster as a national calamity and release funds from the National Calamity Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.