• 23 pilgrims rescued after being stranded by landslides in Uttarakhand

    National
    23 pilgrims rescued after being stranded by landslides in Uttarakhand
    The downpour has also resulted in road blockages, including the closure of the national highway to Badrinath.

    Digital Desk: Heavy rainfall triggered massive landslides, halting the journey of 23 pilgrims returning from Adi Kailash yatra. They were stranded in Uttarakhand's Tawaghat for four days, where local residents provided shelter. On Saturday, rescue operations conducted by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and local police successfully evacuated all the pilgrims.

    Recent heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand has caused widespread disruptions, including landslides that have severely affected daily life. Tragically, a five-year-old drowned in a rainwater-filled pit in Dehradun, and a teenager drowned in a rivulet in Haridwar in separate incidents.

    The downpour has also resulted in road blockages, including the closure of the national highway to Badrinath. In Rudraprayag district, debris from a landslide blocked the entrance of an old tunnel on Friday, though fortunately, there were no casualties.

    The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand on Sunday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has instructed District Magistrates to maintain vigilance in response to the severe weather alert.