Rudraprayag: On Thursday, the Kedarnath yatra in Uttarakhand was put on hold for the entire day amid incessant rains and more than 2500 passengers were stayed in Sonprayag. The pilgrims were not allowed to proceed on Sonprayag-Gaurikund highway which was struck by landslide on Monday night.
Apart from this, many landslide and subsidence zones have become active on the Kedarnath route. Therefore, the Kedarnath pilgrimage from Sonprayag remained closed throughout the day due to bad weather and security reasons.
Over 2500 pilgrims were stranded in Sonprayag
Amidst extremely poor weather conditions, more than 2,500 pilgrims were stranded in Sonprayag on Kedarnath route on Thursday. Overnight rains triggered flooding, making the situation quite challenging. Rescue teams, including police and the NDRF, arrived early to assist. Fortunately, many of the stranded pilgrims have been rescued, but the inclement weather continues to pose difficulties. For safety reasons, no pilgrims were sent down from Kedarnath.
It has been raining heavily in Kedarnath valley since Thursday morning
Heavy rains have been pouring continuously from Rudraprayag to Kedarnath since Thursday morning, with brief pauses followed by intense downpours. This heavy downpour has triggered landslides and subsidence zones at several places and there is a constant danger due to the landslide zone being active in the area. On the other hand, the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route affected by heavy rains has become even more sensitive due to rain. Hence, there is a danger of falling stones at many places.
Pilgrims will be sent to Kedarnath only when the weather improves
According to the Sonprayag Sector Magistrate Rakesh Singh, “The pilgrimage is halted due to security reasons amid poor weather. The pilgrims will be sent to Kedarnath only when the weather improves on Friday.”
Heavy snowfall in Kedarnath hills
Intermittent rain throughout the day led to heavy snowfall on Thursday in the hill ranges near Kedarnath. With bad weather persisting for the second consecutive day, the cold has intensified in areas including Kedarnath Dham. The entire district, including the headquarters in Rudraprayag, experienced intermittent rain throughout the day, resulting in reduced activity in the markets.
