Uttarakhand landslide: 7,350 Kedarnath pilgrims brought to safety

Another 150 pilgrims were evacuated from the landslide-hit Kedarnath trek route in Uttarakhand on Tuesday, taking the total to 7,350. The pilgrimage remains halted as rescue teams clear debris and repair the damaged route near Chirbasa

Dehradun/Rudraprayag: A day after 7,200 pilgrims were evacuated from the landslide-affected Kedarnath trek route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, another 150 people were brought to safety by rescue teams on Tuesday, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC).

According to the latest SEOC report, the pilgrims returning from Kedarnath Dham were safely evacuated from Chirbasa by 10.15 am. With this, a total of 7,350 pilgrims have been safely guided across the route, while efforts to clear the debris remain underway to resume the Kedarnath pilgrimage, which was halted two days ago.

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The SEOC stated that by Monday evening, 7,200 pilgrims and 1,200 mules had been safely evacuated from the landslide-affected area.

Repair work is being fast-tracked on the route, which was damaged on Sunday by falling boulders, stones and debris near the Chirbasa helipad, located approximately 2.5 km above Gaurikund.

According to the police, labourers are working on a war footing to reopen the path, with safety measures being overseen by personnel from the police, the Public Works Department (PWD) and the District Disaster Relief Force.

However, pilgrims intending to visit Kedarnath will have to wait, as they will only be allowed to proceed once the debris has been cleared from the route. Pilgrims travelling on foot to Kedarnath have been stranded at Sonprayag and Gaurikund since Sunday.

The police have appealed to pilgrims to remain patient until the route is fully restored and to adhere to the guidelines issued by the police and the administration.