Joint State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on Tuesday night evacuated over 10,000 pilgrims stranded en route to Kedarnath after a landslide blocked the Sonprayag-Gaurikund road in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district, officials said on Wednesday.
The landslide in Munkatia between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on Tuesday evening blocked the main route to Kedarnath, leaving pilgrims stranded amid heavy rain, darkness, and falling debris.
SDRF commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said they were informed about the matter around 9.16pm on Tuesday, and a team was immediately rushed to the site with rescue equipment. “Rescue personnel assisted pilgrims through the damaged section despite persistent rainfall and low visibility, while also helping them reach safer locations.”
Yaduvanshi said SDRF and NDRF personnel carried out rescue operations under extremely challenging conditions and safely helped around 10,450 pilgrims cross the affected stretch. “The teams remain deployed and alert on the route in anticipation of possible emergencies. Their preparedness and coordinated response enabled the large-scale rescue operation.”
Yaduvanshi said debris from the route was removed after the evacuation, restoring vehicular movement.
{{/usCountry}}Yaduvanshi said debris from the route was removed after the evacuation, restoring vehicular movement.
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