The Uttarakhand government on Thursday suspended Kedarnath pilgrimage due to a landslide enroute Himalayan temple near Sonprayag.
As many as 40 pilgrims stranded in the landslide zone were rescued by an SDRF team from the landslide area. Debris fell near Sonprayag on the way to Kedarnath Dham.
The landslide resulted in the blockade of Kedarnath road going towards the Himalayan temple at Munkatiya near Sonprayag. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) officials and Rudraprayag Police informed that the road at Munkatiya landslide area was completely blocked by the debris and boulders leading to complete halt of the public movement.
As the road could not be opened despite all efforts by the administration, the state government was forced to stop Chardham Yatra to Kedarnath but no time was given for resumption of the pilgrimage.
SDRF officials said around 40 pilgrims coming back from Kedarnath were stranded on the other side of the landslide. A team SDRF deployed at Sonprayag was able to rescue all stranded pilgrims safely and brought them to Sonpraya.
The landslide took place late Wednesday night, when a large chunk of debris and rocks suddenly came down due to rains in the hill areas of the state.
Meanwhile, vehicular movement beyond the Silai Band area on Yamunotri Road could not resume even on the fourth day of the cloudburst triggering landslide that killed three people and left seven missing till date.
However, rescuers including teams of SDRF, local police, and local administration were able to rescue 254 pedestrian pilgrims on the way to Yamunotri and Uttarkashi. The rescued pilgrims who were stranded between Syana Chatti and Janki Chatti were safely evacuated. Although pedestrians are allowed to pass through the slide zone, it remains risky.