About 15,000 pilgrims stranded along Kedarnath trek route after landslide evacuated

UTTARKASHI: About 1,500 pilgrims stranded in the Chirbasa area along the Kedarnath trek route were successfully evacuated, officials said on Monday.

Joint teams comprising State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) successfully rescued and escorted approximately 1,500 pilgrims to Gaurikund after they were stranded late at Sunday night, the SDRF said in a press statement.

It said that the Sonprayag police received information that several pilgrims were stranded on the other side of the route in the Chirbasa area -- located about 3 kilometres beyond Gaurikund -- due to a landslide.

Upon receiving the information, an SDRF team from Sonprayag, led by Sub-Inspector Ashish Dimri, arrived at the site and found debris accumulated on the road near the Chirbasa helipad due to the landslide, officials said.

Additionally, continuous rockfalls from the hillside made the movement of pilgrims extremely hazardous. Assessing the situation, the SDRF, NDRF, and DDRF teams launched a joint rescue operation, they said.

The rescue teams carefully guided the pilgrims across the landslide zone; they were safely escorted to the other side and sent onward to Gaurikund, according to the statement.

The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to incessant heavy rain, officials have said.