Rudraprayag: The pilgrimage to Kedarnath was temporarily suspended on Thursday after a rain-induced landslide at Munkatiya near Sonprayag on the way to the Himalayan temple in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand. Police said the road was completely blocked by landslide debris and stones in the Munkatiya sliding zone, forcing the administration to temporarily halt the yatra.
He said some pilgrims returning from Gaurikund were trapped in the sliding zone but were rescued by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel and brought safely to Sonprayag. As a precautionary measure, the Kedarnath Yatra has been halted for the time being.
SDRF rescues 40 devotees
About 40 devotees stranded in the Sonprayag landslide area while returning from Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand have been safely evacuated by the SDRF. Late night, debris suddenly fell near Sonprayag on the way to Kedarnath Dham, due to which more than 40 pilgrims returning from Kedarnath Dham were stranded since around 10 pm. SDRF has rescued them safely.
More than 250 passengers stranded on Yamunotri route were evacuated
On the other hand, even on the fourth day of the cloudburst incident on Yamunotri Highway, vehicular movement could not be started beyond Silai Band. Pedestrian movement is smooth there, but danger still remains. On Wednesday, about 254 passengers stranded between Syanachatti and Janakichatti were evacuated safely. Also, the help of sniffer dogs was taken by NDRF to find the seven people missing in the incident.
Due to cloudburst near Silai Band and overflowing of drain in Ojri, about 20 to 25 meters of road of Yamunotri Highway was washed away there. On the other hand, seven people were swept away and missing in the debris and strong current of water in Silai Band.
Search and rescue operation is being conducted by NDRF, SDRF, Police, ITBP to find them and to safely evacuate the pilgrims who had come to visit Yamunotri Dham.
On Wednesday, during the movement on foot, about 254 pilgrims were safely evacuated by the administration and sent to Barkot through vehicles. At the same time, the Food Supply Department had made arrangements for food at various places for the pilgrims. The NH department is carrying out road repair work in Silai Band. But the department is facing problems due to hard rock near Ojri.
Vehicle movement has not started due to debris and mud
At the same time, due to more debris and mud in Silai Band, the movement of vehicles has not started. DM Prashant Arya said that the entire administrative staff is engaged in smoothening the movement on the Yamunotri Highway. Efforts are being made to start the movement of vehicles soon. Similarly, efforts will be started for the movement of small vehicles on Kupda motor road by tomorrow.
