Relentless rains unleashed a landslide on the pilgrimage route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, leaving at least 34 devotees dead and several others injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow at the tragedy, assuring that the administration was extending every possible assistance to those affected.
“The loss of lives due to a landslide on the route to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is saddening. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The administration is assisting all those affected. My prayers for everyone’s safety and well-being,” Modi said in a message posted on X.
President Droupadi Murmu also described the loss of lives as extremely distressing, voicing hope that rescue and relief efforts would bring comfort to survivors.
Also read: 34 killed as landslide hits Vaishno Devi Yatra route in J&K
“The tragic incident of the death of several devotees in a landslide on the pilgrimage route to the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is extremely distressing. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the success of the relief and rescue operations,” Murmu posted in Hindi on X.
Authorities confirmed that 20 others sustained injuries when tonnes of mud and rock came crashing down the old track leading to the revered shrine. Rescue teams, working in treacherous weather conditions, managed to pull out more bodies through the day as the toll climbed steadily.
Officials said the pilgrimage has been suspended temporarily while engineers and disaster response units carry out clearance and stabilisation work on the damaged stretch. Restoration of the track remains a priority, but officials cautioned that incessant rainfall may continue to hinder operations.
The Vaishno Devi shrine, among the most visited in the country, witnesses a heavy footfall throughout the year. Pilgrims stranded en route have been shifted to safer shelters as the authorities intensify relief operations.
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