1,500 Pilgrims Evacuated After Landslide on Kedarnath Trek Route

Uttarkashi: Around 1,500 pilgrims stranded along the Kedarnath trek route in Uttarakhand were evacuated safely after a landslide blocked the route near Chirbasa, PTI reported citing officials.

The pilgrims had been stranded since late Sunday night in the Chirbasa area, around 3 km from Gaurikund. Joint teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) carried out the rescue operation and escorted them to Gaurikund.

The Sonprayag police had received information that pilgrims were trapped in the area following the landslide. According to reports, an SDRF team from Sonprayag, led by Sub-Inspector Ashish Dimri, reached the spot and found debris covering the road near the Chirbasa helipad.

Continuous rockfalls from the hillside further increased the risk to pilgrims attempting to cross the affected stretch.

The SDRF, NDRF and DDRF teams then launched a coordinated rescue operation, carefully guiding the pilgrims through the landslide-affected zone and escorting them safely to the other side before sending them onwards to Gaurikund.