3 devotees dead, several injured as landslide hits Kedarnath Yatra route

Digital Desk: In a tragic incident, as many as three people died and eight were injured in a landslide near Chidwasa in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on Sunday. The incident took place on the Kedarnath route.

A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team promptly arrived at the scene, evacuating the injured and handing over the bodies of the deceased to the district police. The injuries were caused by falling stones and debris from the landslide.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his sorrow over the tragedy in a post on X. “The news of some pilgrims getting injured due to debris and heavy stones falling from the hill near the Kedarnath Yatra route is unfortunate," he wrote.

He reassured the public that rescue operations were ongoing and that the injured received necessary care. “Relief and rescue work is going on at the site of the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard. I have given instructions to provide better treatment to the people injured in the accident immediately,” he added.

The devotees affected by the landslide were on their way from Gaurikund to Kedarnath Dham. This tragic event is part of the ongoing Char Dham Yatra, which has seen over 26 lakh pilgrims from across India and abroad registered to participate.

Since the doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham opened on May 10, more than one lakh devotees have reached Kedarnath. To date, around seven lakh devotees have visited Char Dham.

Earlier this year, at least 20 people were injured when a bus carrying pilgrims from the Char Dham Yatra overturned in Rajasthan's Dausa. The pilgrims were returning from Kedarnath to Badrinath when the accident occurred.