Two porters from Jammu and Kashmir were killed and three others, including a pilgrim from Gujarat, were injured in a landslide near Jangalchatti on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on Wednesday morning. This information was given by administrative officials.
District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said that around 11:20 am, a sudden landslide near Jangalchatti Gadhera caused debris to fall, causing many people to fall into a deep gorge.
Teams of NDRF, SDRF, local police and District Disaster Response Force reached the spot for relief and rescue work and started a joint operation. The deceased have been identified as palanquin bearers Nitin Kumar and Chandrashekhar from Jammu and Kashmir.
Among the injured, 22-year-old Sandeep Kumar has suffered serious injuries in both legs and waist, 16-year-old Nitin Manhas has a broken right hand, while 40-year-old pilgrim Akash Chitriya has suffered injuries at several places. All the injured were rescued and sent to Gaurikund Hospital.
This incident is raising concerns about the safety of the Kedarnath Yatra route during the monsoon. The administration has advised the pilgrims to be cautious and follow the authorized guidelines. On Wednesday, light to moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms was recorded in many parts of the state, while the Meteorological Department has issued an alert of heavy rain in the coming days.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for June 21, warning of heavy to very heavy rains in Bageshwar, Champawat and Nainital districts. Similar conditions are expected in Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Bageshwar and Nainital districts on June 22.
According to Bikram Singh, Director of IMD Dehradun, thunderstorms and rain may continue in most parts of the state from June 19 to 24. Chamoli, Bageshwar, Nainital and Champawat districts received widespread rainfall on Wednesday, while other parts of Dehradun district, including Mussoorie, also witnessed drizzle. Scattered rainfall was recorded in other districts.
According to the IMD, the state received an average of 7.6 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. Udham Singh Nagar recorded the highest rainfall of 20.6 mm, Pithoragarh 17.2 mm, Nainital 12.8 mm, Champawat 7.4 mm and Uttarkashi 4.8 mm.
Sitalakhet in Almora received the highest rainfall of 9.5 mm between 12 pm and 3 pm, followed by Lohaghat (Champawat) at 9 mm. Other places like Almora (2 mm), Jyolikot (1 mm), and Karnaprayag, Takula, Gangolihat, Kichha, etc. received 0.5 mm rainfall.
Strong winds accompanied by lightning were observed in Dehradun, Mukteshwar and Chakrata. Winds blew at 31 km/hr in Chamoli and 30 km/hr in Pantnagar. There is no report of hailstorm.
Temperatures remained normal across the state. The maximum temperature was normal in the plains, while it was slightly below normal in the hilly areas. The highest temperature of the day was 34.7 degrees Celsius in Mohkampur (Dehradun), while the lowest temperature was 13.8 degrees Celsius in Mukteshwar (Nainital).
