Nine laborers have gone missing after a landslide near Silai band in Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand after heavy rains from late Saturday night. The rain has suspended the Char Dham Yatra for a day.
According to officials involved in rescue operations, the incident occurred 4-5 km ahead of Paligad on Yamunotri National Highway near Silai Band. 10 out of 19 workers were taken under security in the labor camp, which is hit by Landslide. Rescue operations continue to search for other nine.
The State Disaster Management Authority said that it came to know about heavy rainfall at around 2.12 pm on Sunday. The District Emergency Operations Center then sent a joint team.
Police, State Disaster Response Forces, National Disaster Response Force, Revenue Department and Health Department teams are being relieved and searching.
The place is washed about 10–12 meters away from the Yamunotry highway. Restoration work is going on on the road, and as a precaution, the police have asked four religious pilgrims to live in safe places.
SDRF officials said that a major landslide was triggered due to intense rainfall. Although a team of SDRF was immediately sent for relief and rescue operations, the team forced the team to reach the site on foot. “The nineteen was living in the camp, and many ran away when landslides were a hit. We believe that others were sleeping. Efforts are on to find them.”
“Giving top priority for public safety, the administration has regulated traffic on the affected routes and stopped pilgrims at safe places. The public is requested to avoid trusting or spreading any kind of rumors, rely on authentic information, and only contact authorized departments in terms of emergency situations,” a statement of the force.
The identity of missing workers is being ascertained.
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Meanwhile, the Char Dham Yatra was suspended for a day, in view of continuous heavy rains and the possibility of landslides across the state, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey announced. He said that this precautionary measures have been taken to ensure the safety of life and property, so that pilgrims trapped on the routes do not face any inconvenience and can take safely to safe places. The respective district administrations are placed on alert, and the relief and rescue teams have been activated. Commissioner Pandey further said that after reviewing the weather conditions and road conditions, a decision will be taken on Monday to resume the journey. Pilgrims have been urged to follow the guidelines issued by the administration and avoid moving towards pilgrimage sites until the weather improves.
Uttarakhand (T) Uttarakhand monsoon disaster
