J&K: Landslide Strikes Track To Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, Two Pilgrims Dead
On Monday, landslides triggered by heavy rain also blocked the Badrinath national highway in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand at multiple points.
A landslide occurred on the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine track in the Katra city of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, killing two pilgrims from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh while a five-year-old girl was injured. The disaster management team from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has arrived at the scene. Further details on the incident are awaited, according to the CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board.
As per PTI, the deceased were identified as Sapna, 27, from Dhianpur village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, and Neha, 23, from the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The injured girl, Sanvi, also from Kanpur, was rushed to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital for treatment. Her grandfather, L. Prasad, said they had paused during their trek to the shrine when police began clearing the track due to a monkey scare. "Suddenly, there was a landslide, and debris fell on the tin shed, causing it to collapse," he said.
J&K | Shooting stones and a landslide have taken place on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine track. Disaster Management team of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board have reached the spot. More details awaited: CEO of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2024
Katra SDM Piyush Dhotra told ANI, "A landslide occurred in which two people lost their lives and one person is injured...The dead bodies and injured are being brought to the hospital."
#WATCH | Katra, J&K: Katra SDM Piyush Dhotra says, "A landslide occurred in which two people lost their lives and one person is injured...The dead bodies and injured are being brought to the hospital..." https://t.co/TeFLovCPWA pic.twitter.com/HbWNyYqPCU
— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2024
Officials told PTI that pilgrim movement on the Himkoti track was halted following a landslide, but the pilgrimage to the shrine atop Trikuta hills continued via the traditional Sanjhichatt route. The landslide occurred around 2:15 p.m. near Panchi, three kilometers from Bhawan, damaging part of an overhead iron structure.
They also added that the pilgrims were en route to the shrine when they got trapped under the iron structure due to the landslide. The landslide was triggered by falling rocks, known as "shooting stones," after several days of rainfall.
Reasi Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan confirmed the deaths and the injury of a girl, stating that senior police and civil administration officers had rushed to the scene. He headed to Katra, the base camp for Vaishno Devi pilgrims, to assess the situation and check on the injured girl personally.
Disaster management teams from the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) quickly arrived at the scene and launched a rescue operation, officials further added.
On Sunday, the weather department had forecast dry conditions in Jammu and Kashmir until September 12, saying brief spells of rain could hit isolated areas on certain days.
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Landslides In Uttarakhand Too
On Monday, landslides triggered by heavy rain blocked the Badrinath national highway in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand at multiple points. The highway is obstructed at Pagalnala, Patalganga, and Nandaprayag, and efforts are underway to clear it, according to the district disaster management centre.
According to PTI, seven shops in the Simli market were damaged by landslide debris.
The Jyotirmath-Malari road, which connects to the India-China border, along with the Karnaprayag-Gwaldam national highway, has also been blocked by a landslide, the district disaster management centre reported.
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