3 pilgrims dead, 1 missing after landslides hit Char Dham routes
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Dehradun/Uttarkashi: Three pilgrims died, one was missing, and three others sustained injuries after separate landslides struck the Yamunotri and Badrinath routes in Uttarakhand on Monday following heavy rainfall that disrupted Char Dham pilgrimage movement.
A landslide hit the Yamunotri route around 4pm at Nau Kainchi near Bhairav temple, about 1.5 km from the shrine. Large boulders crashed onto the pedestrian path, damaging railings, and trapped several pilgrims. Teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police rushed to the site, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel joining later in the evening.
Rasik, a pilgrim from Mumbai, was rescued from under debris with injuries and admitted to the primary health centre at Jankichatti.
His condition was reported to be stable. Based on Rasik's statement, two pilgrims — a 12-year-old girl named Bhavika from Delhi and another male pilgrim — had gone missing, of whom one body was recovered later. Search operations are underway. Rescuers later found the body of a teenage girl and another unidentified person – the body so mutilated that even its gender could not be ascertained.
On Monday morning, falling boulders struck a moving car near the Patalganga tunnel on the Badrinath highway in Chamoli district, killing a woman and injuring two others, including a child.
by Taboola
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The family from Fatehabad, Haryana, was returning from Badrinath when the accident occurred. Shilpa, 36, died on the spot, while Ankit Lal, 39, and 10-year-old Khwahish were taken to a nearby hospital. The woman's body was sent for post-mortem examination.
Inspector Karn Singh from the SDRF led the rescue along with local police. An SDRF official said, "The area has witnessed several rockfall incidents recently, so travellers must remain cautious."
Landslides and falling boulders blocked the Badrinath National Highway (NH-54) near Pipalkoti for over six hours on Monday morning. Authorities cleared the road by afternoon, reopening it to one-way traffic as stabilisation work continued. Chamoli tehsil recorded the district's highest rainfall at 93.66 mm, significantly raising the risk of landslides. The highway saw two blockages within 24 hours.
Two tourists from Hyderabad, aged 36 and 50, died on Saturday when boulders fell on their motorcycle near Chatwapeepal, between Gauchar and Karnaprayag.
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