At least three pilgrims, including two from Maharashtra, were killed in a landslide triggered by rains when they were en route to Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath temple today, officials said.

Eight people were also injured in the accident, which occurred on a pathway between Gaurikund and Chirbasa in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. They have been taken to a hospital.

The third victim has been identified as a resident of Rudraprayag.

“Devotees were buried under the debris at Chirbasa on the Kedarnath Yatra route. Teams of the State Disaster Response Force and District Disaster Response Force are carrying out rescue operations,” Rudraprayag’s District Magistrate posted on X.

“Efforts to minimise the possibility of injuries and loss of life. The district administration continuously requests travellers to stay in a safe place,” the senior official added.

केदारनाथ यात्रा मार्ग के चीरबासा पर अचानक मलबा आने से दबे यात्री ॥
SDRF, DDRF और YMD रेस्क्यू का कार्य कर रहे है।
घायल और जनहानि की संभावना को कम से कम रखने के प्रयास ॥
जिला प्रशासन लगातार यात्रियों से सुरक्षित जगह रुकने का अनुरोध करता है।#mansoon #chardhamyatra2024 pic.twitter.com/51kK0W6mSK

— DM Rudraprayag (@DmRudraprayag) July 21, 2024

Earlier in the day, the Gangotri National Highway near Bishanpur was closed due to a landslide.

#RouteUpdate

गंगोत्री राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग बिशनपुर सैंज के पास मालवा व पत्थर आने के कारण बाधित है।BRO द्वारा मार्ग को सुचारु करने का कार्य किया जा रहा है। पुलिस टीम मौके पर है। pic.twitter.com/9lNynOGowi

— Uttarkashi Police Uttarakhand (@UttarkashiPol) July 21, 2024

Landslides triggered by heavy rains over the past few weeks have left some of Uttarakhand’s key highways blocked.

The weather office has issued a red alert in Uttarakhand for Sunday and Monday and said parts of the state are likely to receive extremely heavy rainfall in the period.

Char Dham Yatra

Kedarnath temple is part of the Char Dham Yatra, which began on May 10 this year. The Char Dham Yatra, during which devotees also cover Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath, holds profound spiritual significance in Hinduism and the journey typically occurs from April-May to October-November.

It is believed that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. So, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath.

Jerlyn Dsilva from Hadapsar was assaulted by a 57-year-old retired engineer on Baner-Pashan Link Road for criticizing his mud-splashing driving, encouraged by his wife. Dsilva, from Sheraton Grand Pune, shared the incident on Instagram. Police detained the couple and filed an FIR. Siddhesh S and witness Navneet Verma stopped the fleeing attempt. Parents took the traumatized children home.

The government convened an all-party meeting chaired by defence minister Rajnath Singh ahead of the Budget session, scheduled to start on July 22 with 19 sittings until August 12. Congress demanded the Deputy Speaker post and raised concerns about NEET and central agency misuse. JD(U) and YSRCP sought special status for their states. Rahul Gandhi attended as Leader of the Opposition. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Union Budget on Tuesday.