Over 700 Pilgrims Stranded as Landslides Block Badrinath Highway at Two Locations

 More than 700 pilgrims were stranded due to landslides near Bhairpani and Karnprayag areas enroute to the Badrinath shrine today.

Landslide at Bairpani occurred in the morning while the Karnprayag landslide took place on Sunday night, resulting in complete blockade of the Badrinath Road, leaving pilgrims stranded on both sides of the sites.

According Chamoli district administration, the stranded pilgrims were those traveling to and from the Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib shrines.

Large crowd of pilgrims on both sides of the landslide at Phairipani were left stranded and a large mass of debris and boulders fell on the Badrinath Road bringing traffic movement to a grinding halt.

This made the local police stop other pilgrims from going towards Badrinath and Hemkunt Saheb shrine areas, in Chamoli district headquarter and nearby areas Pipalkoti, Mayapur, Pakhi, Helang and Jyotirmath(Joshimath).

On the other hand pilgrims left on their own at Bhairpani landslide area are facing difficulties due to want of food and drinking water facilities.

Landslide in Karnprayag took place at Kameda near Gauchar owing to continuous rain on Sunday night.

It resulted in blockade of Badrinath National Highway near Kameda, Gauchar after boulders and rocks fell from a hill. Officials from the Border Roads Organisation and Local PWD officials were trying hard to clear the debris with a JCB and other equipment.

Details provided by the State Emergency Operation Centre at Dehradun informed that "Efforts are on to clear blocked road at both landslide sites. It's likely to open later as weather is clear in several parts of the hills."