Uttarakhand Rains: Over 700 Stranded Pilgrims Rescued from Kedarnath Route

The highway in the Rudraprayag district was badly damaged on Wednesday night due to heavy rains. Work is being done on rescue and relief efforts to get the stranded individuals out.

Up to 737 people were evacuated by helicopter, and as of Thursday, at least 2,670 people have been transported to Sonprayag by relief workers, according to the Uttarakhand police.

The Uttarakhand police shared on X through its official handle, “The rescue work of people stranded on the Shri Kedarnath Dham Yatra route is continuing. 737 passengers were rescued by helicopter throughout the day. 2,670 passengers were taken to Sonprayag. SDRF, NDRF, DDRF, District Police and Administration teams are selflessly helping the devotees,” the post stated.

The state’s director general of police, Abhinav Kumar, earlier updated the public on relief and rescue efforts in the wake of the state’s intense downpours and urged visitors to exercise caution and heed government orders.

Uttarakhand DGP Abhinav Kumar announced on Thursday that the Kedarnath Yatra has been postponed for two days due to weather, with 12 NDRF and 60 SDRF teams working on rescue operations. The announcement came amid intense rainfall in the districts of Tehri and Rudraprayag.

Also Read: Uttarakhand: Heavy Rains in Kedarnath Claim 10 Lives, Rescue Operations Ongoing

Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Uttarakhand Director General of Police Abhinav Kumar discussed the situation brought on by the heavy rains in the Tehri and Rudraprayag districts. “We had received an alert from the Meteorological Department about heavy rains in the state for 48 hours. In view of this alert, the police, NDRF, SDRF and local administration were put on alert. After the rain started last night, we started getting reports of landslides, rock falls, etc. from various areas.”

He also mentioned that teams were dispatched to various locations for rescue and relief work. The Chief Minister met the impacted people during his visits to Rudraprayag and Tehri.

“So far, 11 people have died in various districts and 8 are seriously injured. By morning, about 1000 people were stranded in Kedarnath and 800 people were stranded on the trek route of Kedarnath. Due to the weather warning, we have suspended the Yatra for the next two days. We have restricted the movement of pilgrims on the Yamunotri and Kedarnath trek routes. The state government has taken the help of the Air Force to evacuate the people stranded in Kedarnath. NDRF 12 teams of INS and 60 teams of SDRF are engaged in rescue work,” he mentioned

On Thursday, Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, also carried out a ground survey of the areas in Tehri and Rudraprayag devastated by the rain.

Wednesday night’s intense rains in some areas of the state severely damaged agricultural land, footbridges, electricity and drinking water lines, and roadways.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami was alerted to the disaster as soon as he received information about it. He went to the State Disaster Operations Center at night to find out what damage had been inflicted by the state’s severe rainfall. He told the officials to stay on high alert.

Due to many landslides on the Kedarnath footpath, the Kedarnath Yatra has been temporarily suspended for the safety of the pilgrims.

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