4 More Pilgrims Found Dead After Landslide On Kedarnath Route, Toll Rises To 5. 'More Feared Trapped'

A group of pilgrims making their way back from Kedarnath got trapped after a landslide around 7.20 pm. The landslide occurred due to torrential rains in the area.

Debris being removed after a landslide near Munkatiya between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on the Kedarnath National Highway.

Source : PTI

The death toll in Monday's landslide on the route to the Kedarnath shrine has reached five, with rescue personnel recovering four more bodies from the debris on Tuesday. Three others were injured in the landslide that occurred near Sonprayag when the pilgrims were on their way back from Kedarnath. 

Rudraprayag Police said more pilgrims could be trapped underneath the debris, according to PTI. 

A group of pilgrims making their way back from Kedarnath got trapped under the landslide debris around 7.20 pm. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched a rescue operation soon after the incident and were able to retrieve the body of one pilgrim, 50-year-old Gopal from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. Three other pilgrims were rescued and rushed to Sonprayag in an ambulance.

Rescue operations were brought to a halt due to bad weather and falling boulders at night. On Tuesday, the operations resumed, and that is when the remaining bodies were found. They have been identified as Durgabai Khapar (50) from Ghat district in Madhya Pradesh, Titli Devi (70) from Nepal, Saman Bai (50) from Dhar, and Bharat Bhai Niralal (52) from Surat, Gujarat.

The landslide occurred due to torrential rains in the area. According to ANI, Rudraprayag Additional District Magistrate Shyam Singh Rana arrived at the spot and said five people were killed and three people injured due to the landslide."A landslide occurred on the National Highway near Sonprayag, due to which five passengers travelling from the route became victims of the accident. Three other people who were injured in the landslide have been rescued by the State Disaster Response Force," he told ANI. 

#WATCH | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand: On the landslide on the Kedarnath Dham road in Sonprayag area, Rudraprayag Additional District Magistrate Shyam Singh Rana said, "A landslide occurred on the national highway near Sonprayag due to which the passengers passing through there… pic.twitter.com/3SqIZxCz9W

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2024

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed condolences in a post on X on Monday evening.

"Very sad news was received that some passengers were buried under debris between Sonprayag-Munkatiya (Rudraprayag). The local administration, NDRF and SDRF teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations. I am also in touch with the officials concerned and monitoring the rescue operation. I pray to Baba Kedar for the safety of the travellers," CM Dhami said.

सोनप्रयाग-मुनकटिया(रुद्रप्रयाग) के बीच मलबा आने से कुछ यात्रियों के दबे होने की अत्यंत दुःखद सूचना प्राप्त हुई।

स्थानीय प्रशासन, NDRF और SDRF की टीमें राहत और बचाव कार्यों में जुटी हुई हैं। स्वयं भी संबंधित अधिकारियों के संपर्क में हूं और रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन की मॉनिटरिंग कर रहा हूँ।…

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) September 9, 2024