Three devotees lost their lives and eight others were injured in a landslide on the Kedarnath Dham trekking route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on Sunday, officials reported.
Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar stated that the accident occurred at approximately 7:30 am near the Chirbasa area on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trekking route. The devotees were struck by heavy stones and debris falling from the hill.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and disaster management teams promptly arrived at the scene and initiated a search and rescue operation, according to Rajwar.
The victims have been identified as Kishore Arun Parate (31) from Nagpur, Maharashtra; Sunil Mahadev Kale (24) from Jalna district, Maharashtra; and Anurag Bisht from Rudraprayag, Rajwar confirmed.
SDRF sources reported that the bodies of the three deceased devotees have been recovered from the debris. Eight others were rescued with injuries and were immediately transported to the hospital.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his sorrow over the tragic loss of lives. In a post on X, he said, "Relief and rescue work is going on at the site of the accident. I am constantly in touch with the officials in this regard. Instructions have been given to provide better treatment to those injured in the accident".