Rudraprayag: At least three people were killed in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath after they were crushed by rolling stones in a landslide triggered by rains today, officials said.
Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, who gave an account of the mishap, said two other passengers have been injured in the accident that happened at Chirbasa of Kedarnath footpath.
Rajwar said at around 7:30 in the morning, the disaster control room was alerted about the accident. The debris and heavy stones fell from the hill near Chirbasa on the Kedarnath Yatra route resulting in the burying of some passengers under the debris.
As soon as this information was received, the security personnel deployed on the Yatra route, including NDRF, DDRF, YMF and the administration team reached the spot and launched relief and rescue there.
केदारनाथ यात्रा मार्ग के पास पहाड़ी से मलबा व भारी पत्थर गिरने से कुछ यात्रियों के हताहत होने का समाचार अत्यंत दुःखद है। घटनास्थल पर राहत एवं बचाव कार्य जारी है, इस सम्बन्ध में निरंतर अधिकारियों के संपर्क में हूं। हादसे में घायल हुए लोगों को त्वरित रूप से बेहतर उपचार उपलब्ध…
— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) July 21, 2024
The rescue team has retrieved three bodies from the debris. The meteorological department has issued a warning of heavy rain. Those killed have been identified as Kishore Arun Parate (31), from Maharashtra's Nagpur, Sunil Mahadev Kale (24), a resident of Maharashtra's Jalna district and Anurag Bisht from Rudraprayag, Rajwar said.
Incessant rains increased the possibility of falling boulders and stones from the mountains. Alongside, rivers and streams overflow. In August last year, several people were killed after shops collapsed due to the crashing down of a hill. Many people went missing. The bodies of about a dozen people were recovered from the Mandakini river.
According to SDRF sources, so far the bodies of three devotees have been recovered from the debris, while others were rescued in an injured condition and immediately rushed to the hospital. The rescue operation is still underway, they said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. In a post on X, Dhami said, "Relief and rescue work is going on at the site of the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard. Instructions have been given to provide better treatment to those injured in the accident."
