DEHRADUN: The vital Kedarnath Dham Yatra, a backbone of Uttarakhand’s economy, has been temporarily suspended following a massive landslide near Sonprayag in Rudraprayag district. The decision was made on Thursday after heavy rainfall triggered a significant landslide at Munkatia, completely blocking the road to the revered Himalayan temple.Police sources confirmed that the Munkatia sliding zone was inundated with a large volume of debris and stones, rendering the route impassable and forcing authorities to halt the pilgrimage.”Some pilgrims returning from Gaurikund were trapped in the sliding zone, but SDRF personnel rescued them and brought them safely to Sonprayag,” said Arpan Yaduvanshi, Commandant of the State Disaster Response Force. “As a precautionary measure, traffic on this route has been stopped for now.”Commandant Yaduvanshi further confirmed the swift rescue operation: “Around 40 pilgrims stranded in the Sonprayag landslide area while returning from Shri Kedarnath Dham were safely evacuated by SDRF. More than 40 pilgrims had been stranded since approximately 10 PM last night after debris suddenly fell near Sonprayag on the way from Kedarnath Dham.”Meanwhile, the Yamunotri Highway remains closed beyond Silai Band for the fourth consecutive day following a cloudburst incident. While pedestrian movement is possible, it remains precarious due to ongoing risks.On Wednesday, approximately 254 passengers stranded between Syanchatti and Jankichatti were safely evacuated. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with NDRF utilizing sniffer dogs to locate seven people who are still missing after the incident.
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