Rudraprayag, June 18: In an unfortunate incident, at least two people ferrying a pilgrim on a palanquin died and three others sustained injuries in a landslide that occurred while they were on their way to Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on Wednesday.
As per reports, the mishap took place at 11.20 am after boulders and stones rolled down from the top of a hill near Junglechatti ghat on the Kedarnath Yatra trekking route and hit pilgrims, palanquin and porter operators. They fell into a gorge after being hit by the rubble of the landslide.
In the mishap, two dandi/kandi carriers who were ferrying a pilgrim to the sacred temple on a palanquin died and three others including a woman sustained injuries.
The identities of the deceased persons are yet to be ascertained.
After being alerted about the incident, police along with District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) personnel arrived at the scene and rescued the victims.
"Today morning at 11:20 am, some travellers and dandi/kandi bearers got trapped due to the sudden falling of debris and stones from the upper hill near Jangalchatti. Local police and DDRF teams immediately reached the spot and rescued the injured," said Rudraprayag Police.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem. The woman suffered minor injuries, while two men with serious injuries have been admitted to a health center in Gaurikund. The movement of pilgrims along the route is continuing under police protection, according to an official.
Police have urged all travelers to be extra cautious when traveling on mountain routes and to strictly follow the instructions provided by the administration.
