Over 700 pilgrims stranded on Badrinath Hemkund Saheb Road after landslides

More than 700 pilgrims were stranded near Bhairpani and Karnprayag areas enroute Badrinath shrine on Monday due to a landslide.

A landslide occurred at Bairpani in the morning while another took place at Karnaprayag on Sunday night resulting in a complete blockade of Badrinath Road leaving pilgrims stranded on alongside the sites.

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According to the Chamoli district administration, the stranded pilgrims are those who were traveling to and from the Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib shrines. A large crowd of pilgrims lined up alongside the road at Phairipani after a large mass of debris and boulders fell on the Badrinath Road bringing traffic movement to a grinding halt.

The debris made the local police and other pilgrims, going towards Badrinath and Hemkunt Saheb shrine areas, in the Chamoli district headquarter and nearby areas Pipalkoti, Mayapur, Pakhi, Helang and Jyotirmath(Joshimath) stop midway. As a result, the pilgrims left on their own at the Bhairpani landslide area are facing difficulties in the absence of food and drinking water facilities.

The landslide in Karnprayag took place at Kameda near Gauchar owing to continuous rain on Sunday night. It resulted in the blockade of Badrinath National Highway near Kameda, Gauchar after boulders and rocks fell from a hill. Officials from the Border Road Organisation and local PWD were engaged in clearing the debris on the day with a JCB and other equipment.

Details provided by the State Emergency Operation Centre at Dehradun informed that “Efforts are on to clear blocked roads at both landslide sites. It’s likely to open today as the weather is clear in several parts of the hills.”