RUDRAPRAYAG: Three devotees died and eight others got injured in a landslide on the Kedarnath Dham trekking route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on Sunday, officials said.

Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said the accident happened at around 7:30 am near Chirbasa area on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trekking route when the devotees were hit heavy stones and debris falling down from the hill.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and disaster management teams reached the spot and started a search and rescue operation, he said.

Those killed have been identified as Kishore Arun Parate (31), from Maharashtra’s Nagpur, Sunil Mahadev Kale (24), a resident of Maharashtra’s Jalna district and Anurag Bisht from Rudraprayag, Rajwar said.

According to SDRF sources, so far the bodies of three devotees have been recovered from the debris, while eight others were rescued in an injured condition and immediately rushed to the hospital.

The rescue operation is still underway, they said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

In a post on X, Dhami said, "Relief and rescue work is going on at the site of the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard. Instructions have been given to provide better treatment to those injured in the accident."