Mussoorie: The Kedarnath Yatra resumed on Friday afternoon after remaining suspended for over five hours due to a rain-triggered landslide and rockfall that blocked the trekking route near the Chirbasa helipad in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district. While pilgrims on foot were allowed to proceed after the route was cleared, mule and horse services remained suspended as authorities continued restoration work amid warnings of new rains.
The accident occurred at around 6.30 am after incessant rain overnight caused the slopes to disintegrate, resulting in huge boulders hitting the pedestrian path leading to Kedarnath. The trekking route was reopened for pilgrims at around one o’clock in the afternoon after the rubble and rocks were removed.
“The Kedarnath Yatra was halted after boulders fell on the pedestrian route, leading to its complete closure at around 6.30 am on Friday. PWD personnel deployed at the site managed to reopen the route for foot pilgrims at around 1 pm, after which the yatra resumed,” said Sunil Singh Rawat, Executive Engineer, PWD Guptkashi.
He added: “We expect the road to be fully restored by Saturday as clearing work continues.”
In another incident, heavy boulders fell near Gaurikund on Kedarnath Road early on Friday morning, prompting authorities to temporarily halt the movement of pilgrims as a precautionary measure.
“Huge boulders slid on the road early in the morning but were immediately removed using heavy machinery, following which the yatra process resumed and is now going smoothly without any hiccups,” said Prerna Gajori, Executive Engineer, PWD Department of National Highways.
Meanwhile, vehicular movement was restored on the Yamunotri Expressway near Sayana Chatti after the authorities cleared the debris caused by the landslide triggered by incessant rainfall over the past few days.
District disaster management officials said basic services and traffic had returned to normal after the affected area was reopened.
Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said the administration remains fully prepared to ensure safe movement of Char Dham pilgrims and local residents while maintaining essential services without interruption.
Monsoon activity remained normal across Uttarakhand in the last 24 hours, with light to very moderate rainfall in many areas and heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated locations.
According to the state Emergency Operations Centre, 49 roads remained closed across Uttarakhand as of Friday evening. There were 19 dead ends in Pithoragarh, followed by five each in Chamoli, Bageshwar and Puri districts, three in Dehradun and two in Rudraprayag.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Saturday, forecasting heavy rain at isolated places in Dehradun, Champawat, Nainital and Bageshwar districts.
Meteorological officials warned of severe thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and heavy to very heavy rain spells at isolated locations in Dehradun and Bageshwar.
Heavy rain is also likely at isolated places in Rudraprayag, Tehri, Puri, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Udham Singh Nagar and Pithoragarh districts, while the remaining districts are expected to witness thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rain spells at isolated places.
