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Tragic Incident on Kedarnath Yatra Route

On Wednesday morning, a landslide near Jangalchatti on the Kedarnath Yatra path in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district resulted in the deaths of two porters from Jammu and Kashmir, while three others, including a pilgrim from Gujarat, sustained injuries. This information was confirmed by local administrative officials.

According to District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, the landslide occurred around 11:20 am, causing debris to cascade down and several individuals to plunge into a deep gorge.

Rescue operations were promptly initiated by teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, and the District Disaster Response Force. The deceased porters were identified as Nitin Kumar and Chandrashekhar, both hailing from Jammu and Kashmir.

Among the injured, 22-year-old Sandeep Kumar suffered severe injuries to his legs and waist, while 16-year-old Nitin Manhas sustained a broken right arm. Additionally, 40-year-old pilgrim Akash Chitriya incurred multiple injuries. All injured individuals were rescued and transported to Gaurikund Hospital for treatment.

This incident has raised alarms regarding the safety of the Kedarnath Yatra route during the monsoon season. Authorities have urged pilgrims to exercise caution and adhere to official guidelines. On the same day, light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms was reported across various regions of the state, with the Meteorological Department forecasting heavy rain in the upcoming days.

The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for June 21, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in the districts of Bageshwar, Champawat, and Nainital. Similar weather conditions are anticipated in Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Bageshwar, and Nainital on June 22.

Bikram Singh, Director of IMD Dehradun, indicated that thunderstorms and rain are likely to persist in most areas of the state from June 19 to 24. Widespread rainfall was recorded in Chamoli, Bageshwar, Nainital, and Champawat districts on Wednesday, while other parts of Dehradun, including Mussoorie, experienced light drizzle. Scattered rainfall was also noted in various other districts.

The IMD reported an average rainfall of 7.6 mm across the state in the last 24 hours, with Udham Singh Nagar experiencing the highest at 20.6 mm, followed by Pithoragarh at 17.2 mm, Nainital at 12.8 mm, Champawat at 7.4 mm, and Uttarkashi at 4.8 mm.

Sitalakhet in Almora recorded the highest rainfall of 9.5 mm between 12 pm and 3 pm, with Lohaghat (Champawat) following closely at 9 mm. Other areas such as Almora (2 mm), Jyolikot (1 mm), and Karnaprayag, Takula, Gangolihat, Kichha, etc., received 0.5 mm of rainfall.

Strong winds and lightning were reported in Dehradun, Mukteshwar, and Chakrata, with wind speeds reaching 31 km/hr in Chamoli and 30 km/hr in Pantnagar. Fortunately, there were no reports of hailstorms.

Temperatures across the state remained within normal ranges, with maximum temperatures in the plains and slightly below normal in hilly regions. The highest temperature recorded was 34.7 degrees Celsius in Mohkampur (Dehradun), while the lowest was 13.8 degrees Celsius in Mukteshwar (Nainital).