Char Dham Yatra suspended after heavy rains, landslides; stranded pilgrims being rescued
Credit: PTI photo
Lucknow: Landslides occurred at several places following heavy rains along the Char Dham route and forced suspension of the auspicious yatra in Uttarakhand.
The NDRF, SDRF and the police rushed to the aid of hundreds of pilgrims who were stranded on the route.
According to the reports, a portion of the road between Soneprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath Highway was blocked owing to the falling debris and stones in the Munkatia Sliding Zone.
‘’The road is completely closed and the SDRF jawans have been taking the stranded pilgrims to safer places. The Yatra will resume after the road will be cleared of the boulders,’’ a senior police official said in Rudraprayag district on Thursday.
Reports said that as many as 40 pilgrims who were stranded on their way back from Kedarnath were rescued by the SDRF jawans.
The Yamunotri Highway was also closed at some places following landslides. The officials said that a portion of the Highway between Selai Band and Ojri was washed away and as a result the Yatra was temporarily suspended.
Earlier, a cloud burst wreaked havoc across Uttarkashi district. Intense rain hit an under construction hotel site near Silai Band in which two labourers were killed and seven others went missing. They were yet to be traced.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that ‘’safety of the pilgrims is our first priority,’’
Reports said that several rivers in the state were in spate following heavy rains in the past few days threatening the low lying areas.
The Alaknanda river was flowing above the danger mark in Rudraprayag district and the houses and temples in the low lying areas were inundated.