More than 10,000 pilgrims travelling to Kedarnath were safely rescued after a major landslide hit the route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag, officials said on Thursday. Officials said 10,450 pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath route were evacuated by joint rescue teams after the landslide at Munkatiya.
The landslide took place between Sonprayag and Gaurikund late Tuesday night following heavy rainfall in the area. Debris from the slide blocked the main highway and left a large number of pilgrims stranded.
Continuous falling rocks, heavy rain, darkness, and the difficult mountain terrain made the situation extremely challenging for the stranded travellers.
The District Control Room in Rudraprayag informed the SDRF about the incident at around 9.16 pm. Soon after, a rescue team from Sonprayag rushed to the site with the required equipment.
The SDRF and NDRF later launched a joint rescue and relief operation in the affected area. Rescue teams helped all 10,450 stranded pilgrims cross the damaged stretch safely. Despite continuous rainfall and poor visibility, rescue personnel kept motivating and assisting the pilgrims throughout the operation.
The evacuated pilgrims were later shifted to designated safe locations by the teams.
After completing the rescue work, officials deployed JCB machines to clear the debris from the road. Authorities restored the blocked highway shortly afterwards, and normal vehicular movement resumed on the route.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said teams deployed along the pilgrimage route had been kept on high alert. He added that the advance deployment of rescue teams helped ensure quick action and better coordination during the emergency.
Officials said workers later cleared the remaining debris, removed the blockage, and stranded vehicles were allowed to move from the area.
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