As the monsoon begins to tighten its grip on the Himalayan region, a devastating landslide occurred on Monday afternoon near Nau Kaichi on the Janakichatti-Yamunotri pedestrian route. The sudden collapse of a hillside led to several pilgrims being buried under the rubble.
According to Janakichatti police outpost in-charge, Gambhir Singh Tomar, teams from the police, administration, and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) rushed to the site immediately upon receiving the alert. As a safety measure, movement on the route has been temporarily halted.
Rescue teams managed to evacuate Rasik, a 60-year-old pilgrim from Mumbai, who sustained head injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. Dr. Hardev Singh Panwar confirmed that while the injuries are serious, the patient is currently out of danger. Tragically, the body of a young girl was also recovered from the debris.
SDM Brijesh Kumar Tiwari reported that hundreds of pilgrims stranded on the route towards Yamunotri Dham are being safely evacuated. Those planning to proceed to the shrine have been advised to remain at designated safe zones until conditions improve.
The SDRF and NDRF teams continue their search and rescue operations, working tirelessly to locate and extricate any remaining trapped individuals from the landslide-affected area.
