New Delhi:

At least three pilgrims, including two from Maharashtra, were killed in a landslide triggered by rains when they were en route to Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath temple today, officials said.

Eight people were also injured in the accident, which occurred near the Chirbasa area on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trekking route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. They have been taken to a hospital.

The third victim has been identified as a resident of Rudraprayag.

“Devotees were buried under the debris at Chirbasa on the Kedarnath Yatra route. Teams of the State Disaster Response Force and District Disaster Response Force are carrying out rescue operations,” Rudraprayag’s District Magistrate posted on X.

“Efforts to minimise the possibility of injuries and loss of life. The district administration continuously requests travellers to stay in a safe place,” the senior official added.

केदारनाथ यात्रा मार्ग के चीरबासा पर अचानक मलबा आने से दबे यात्री ॥
SDRF, DDRF और YMD रेस्क्यू का कार्य कर रहे है।
घायल और जनहानि की संभावना को कम से कम रखने के प्रयास ॥
जिला प्रशासन लगातार यात्रियों से सुरक्षित जगह रुकने का अनुरोध करता है।#mansoon#chardhamyatra2024pic.twitter.com/51kK0W6mSK

— DM Rudraprayag (@DmRudraprayag) July 21, 2024

Earlier in the day, the Gangotri National Highway near Bishanpur was closed due to a landslide.

#RouteUpdate

गंगोत्री राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग बिशनपुर सैंज के पास मालवा व पत्थर आने के कारण बाधित है।BRO द्वारा मार्ग को सुचारु करने का कार्य किया जा रहा है। पुलिस टीम मौके पर है। pic.twitter.com/9lNynOGowi

— Uttarkashi Police Uttarakhand (@UttarkashiPol) July 21, 2024

Landslides triggered by heavy rains over the past few weeks have left some of Uttarakhand’s key highways blocked.

The weather office has issued a red alert in Uttarakhand for Sunday and Monday and said parts of the state are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall in the period.

Char Dham Yatra

Kedarnath temple is part of the Char Dham Yatra, which began on May 10 this year. The Char Dham Yatra, during which devotees also cover Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism and the journey typically occurs from April-May to October-November.

It is believed that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. So, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.

Dehradun:

The ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand will remain suspended on Sunday due to the heavy rain alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for July 7-8.

Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey issued an order in this regard late Saturday and urged pilgrims en route to the temples to avoid proceeding further and stay where they are.

He appealed to pilgrims not to travel beyond Rishikesh in view of the weather department’s heavy rain forecast and landslides on various routes.

Pilgrims have been advised to proceed further only when the weather is clear.

The IMD on Saturday issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in all the districts of Uttarakhand on Sunday and Monday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand):

A huge number of devotees thronged Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams for darshan on Sunday.

According to information received, till 2 pm on Sunday, around 10,000 devotees had had darshan at Gangotri Dham and about 28,000 pilgrims from various places were moving towards Gangotri Dham.

At Yamunotri Dham also, till 2 pm on Sunday, 8,500 people had had darshan and about 20,000 people were moving forward on the Yamunotri route from various stops.

Gangotri and Yamunotri Dhams are located in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. The Char Dham Yatra started on May 10 this year. The Hindu pilgrimage Char Dham circuit consists of four sites: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The River Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in Uttarakhand. Pilgrimage season peaks in Uttarakhand for the Char Dham Yatra annually during the summers.

In view of the arrival of a large number of pilgrims, the Uttarkashi district administration has increased vigilance and alertness and has deployed all the officials associated with the travel arrangements at the Dhams and the travel routes.

Given the large crowd, passenger facilities are being increased on the travel routes and stops and all precautionary measures are being taken to keep the security system and traffic movement under control.

Despite the arrival of a record number of pilgrims, the journey is being conducted smoothly and in an orderly manner. The movement of vehicles is also happening in an orderly manner.

According to the information received from the Uttarkashi District Administration, till 2 pm today, 1100 vehicles and 9900 pilgrims were present at Gangotri Dham. Similarly, about 8500 pilgrims were also present at Yamunotri Dham and its walking route in the afternoon. There are about 500 vehicles and 4500 devotees at Yamunotri’s last stop, Janki Chatti-Kharsali.

After assessing the possibility of a record number of pilgrims coming to both the Dhams, the administration has alerted all the officers and employees associated with the travel arrangements and issued instructions to remain constantly deployed at the travel routes and Dhams.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A huge rush of devotees around the hilly approach to Uttarakhand’s Yamunotri – a part of Char Dham Yatra along with Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath – led to a massive crowd build-up on the small hillside path on Saturday.

Many people were seen standing in long queues for hours, a day after the doors of Yamunotri temple in the Garhwal Himalayas were opened for devotees.

Several devotees said that they had been standing on the narrow path for more than two hours and alleged that the authorities had not given any proper thought to safety and crowd management.

“We all are facing a lot of problems and there are no officials to assist us. There is also no parking space and people have been stuck for over two hours,” a devotee, who was waiting in the long queue, said.

“We somehow entered the temple premises but were not sure whether we would come out alive or not,” a woman devotee said.

Char Dham Yatra Began On Friday

The Char Dham Yatra began on Friday as the doors of Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Gangotri temples in the Garhwal Himalayas were opened for devotees on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.

While the doors of Yamyunotri and Kedarnath opened at 7 am, the portals of Gangotri opened at 12.25 pm in the presence of a large number of devotees.

Thousands of devotees were present in the temple premises of the Yamunotri dham as its doors opened, while about 10,000 devotees witnessed the opening of the portals of Kedarnath.

Gangotri Dhami, along with Kedarnath and Yamunotri Dham, reopened after remaining closed during the winter season.

The Char Dham Yatra holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism and the devotees undertake the yatra from April-May to October-November. The temples are visited by lakhs of people every year.

(With agency inputs)