Wednesday, 11 SEPTEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Landslide on the route to Kedarnath at Sonprayag resulted in the death of at least five people while three sustained serious injuries. The incident occurred on Monday evening.
According to officials in the Rudraprayag district, five persons including three women were killed and three others wounded after they were buried in a landslide in Sonprayag on the Kedarnath Yatra route.
The officials further informed that the authorities were informed on Monday evening about travellers being buried in landslide debris on the the stretch of the Kedarnath bridle path between Gaurikund and Sonprayag. Acting on the information, the police, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the district administration launched a joint rescue operation.
Three persons were rescued from the debris late on Monday night while one person was found unconscious. The person found unconscious was later declared dead. A woman found unconscious in the debris a short while later was also declared dead. The rescue and relief operation continued on Tuesday morning. Five bodies were recovered by the rescue teams. The deceased have been identified as Madhya Pradesh resident Gopal (50), Durgabai Khapar (50), and Samanbai (50), Nepal resident Titli Devi (70) and Gujarat resident Bharat Bhai Niralal (52).
It is pertinent to mention here that landslides and flooding following heavy rain had caused considerable damage on the route to Kedarnath on July 31. Bharatiya Janata Party State spokesman and disaster management expert colonel (retd) Ajay Kothiyal had recently inspected the area on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Returning from his trip, Kothiyal had said that the disaster witnessed on July 31 had caused nearly as much damage as the 2013 disaster, adding that the disaster management and other agencies involved had done commendable work. Kothiyal had stated that till date there is information about a total of 27 persons missing. While seven bodies have been recovered, the search is underway for the other missing persons.
