Two laborers who escaped a pilgrim on a palanquin died in a landslide, while they were on the way to Kedarnath Dham in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand on Wednesday.
Rudraprayag police said that at around 11:20 pm on Wednesday, a landslide occurred near the Jungle Chatti Stream on the Kedarnath Dham Trek Marg, during which the debris and stone fell from the hill.
The pilgrims and the people who escaped in the polykkin in the area were caught in landslides. Police said, “On receiving information about the incident, police personnel posted at Jungle Chatti Outpost and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) carried out the rescue operation and after being hit by the debris, took out those people who fell into the gorge,” the police said.
The deceased was identified as Nitin Kumar and Chandrashekhar from Doda in Jammu. They were both laborers. Three people were also injured; He has been identified as Sandeep Kumar and Nitin Manhas and Akash Chitria from Doda from Bhavnagar, Gujarat.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said that the laborers were taking a female pilgrim to a palanquin, known as a dandy or kandi in the local parlance when a landslide occurred. He said, “Workers and pilgrims fell into a gorge. While the pair died, he faced minor injuries. The SDRF has rescued others,” he said, the landslide often killed Jungle Chatti. “We had to save many pilgrims after a landslide last year.”
In 2024, a small section of the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek road in Jungle Chatti area was washed due to rain.
After Wednesday’s incident, the Rudraprayag police said the entire trekking route, including the landslide affected area near Jungle Chatti, was open and the journey was “smoothly”.
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In an advisor, it said, “Pilgrims traveling on foot are advised to take additional precautions. After checking the weather forecast and ensuring that they avoid trekking beyond Garikund later during the day. Kedarnath trekking route and Kedarnath Dham are reported to be rainy in the afternoon.”
A few days after a helicopter crashed near Kedarnath, seven died, including an infant and pilot.
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