GAUHATI, India (September 23, 2012)—Torrential rains triggered a flash flood that killed at least nine construction workers and left 15 others missing and feared dead in India's remote northeast.

Officials say the workers, who lived in camps, were swept away by the swirling waters of a flooded river Friday in a small town in the mountainous region.

Authorities say they recovered nine bodies and were searching for the 15 missing workers, who were building roads.

Food supplies were dropped from helicopters to nearly 10,000 people living in six villages cut off by the to the main highway in the area, officials said.