Tragedy Strikes Kedarnath: Deadly Landslide Claims Five Lives

A deadly landslide on the Kedarnath highway has claimed the lives of five pilgrims. The disaster occurred at Mankutiya while the group was returning from Kedarnath. Rescue operations, hampered by rain and darkness, resumed the next morning, recovering additional bodies from the debris.

A deadly landslide on the Kedarnath highway took five lives on Tuesday, with three women among the victims, officials confirmed.

According to Ryudraprayag Superintendent of Police Akshay Konde, rescue operations resumed at 5 a.m. and concluded by 7:30 a.m., following the landslide that struck the Mankutiya area on Monday evening. The route from Sonprayag to Gaurikund had only been reopened a few days prior after earlier landslide repairs.

Efforts by the State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund initially recovered one body and rescued three injured pilgrims. Rescue operations were suspended until morning due to heavy rain and poor visibility, and four additional bodies were retrieved on Tuesday. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his grief over the loss of lives.

(With inputs from agencies.)