Vaishno Devi Landslide: 1 Dead, 6 Injured as Heavy Rains Trigger Chaos
Vaishno Devi Landslide: 1 Dead, 6 Injured as Heavy Rains Trigger Chaos
Vaishno Devi Landslide: Massive landslide near Banganga on Vaishno Devi Yatra route kills one, injures six. Devotees feared being trapped as rain hampers rescue operations.
Landslide in Vaishno Devi: 6 pilgrims injured and one dead due to a landslide on the Vaishno Devi Yatra route, many feared trapped. The harshness of the weather and the continuous heavy rain took a toll on the devotees visiting Maa Vaishno Devi. On Monday morning, around 8:30 am, when the devotees were continuing their journey to Maa Vaishno Devi with full devotion amid heavy rain, a massive landslide occurred near Gulshan Langar in Banganga area.
In no time, huge rocks and stones, etc., fell directly on the road, damaging the tin shed, due to which 7 devotees, including two residents, were injured. In this massive landslide, the main prepaid counter set up by M Tech Company to streamline the services of horse-cart and palanquin, etc., was also completely damaged.
It is being speculated that some devotees are also likely to be trapped in this landslide. As soon as the information was received, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, local administration, police department, CRPF, disaster management team, etc., got involved in relief and rescue work. However, the continuous heavy rain is creating obstacles in the jam.
Ban Ganga route is closed for movement.
At the same time, the Ban Ganga route has been closed for the movement of devotees. At present, the journey of Mother Vaishno Devi is smooth from the new Tarakot route. On the other hand, due to continuous heavy rain since last night, the important Battery Kar route of Mother Vaishno Devi was also closed at around noon, late at night, because pebbles, stones, and soil, etc., are continuously falling on the road at various places on this route.
At present, devotees are continuing their journey to Mother Vaishno Devi through the traditional route from the area of Ardhkumhri via the Tarakot route. Along with the helicopter service, the Battery Kar service is completely closed. At present, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, local administration, and other agencies are constantly monitoring this dire situation. One devotee has died in this accident, while 6 others are injured.
Vaishno Devi Landslide: The injured are being treated
The deceased devotee has been identified as K. Upana (70), son of Srinivas, resident of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The other injured devotees have been identified as Rajendra Bhalla (70) son of Krishna Lal, resident of Jamuna Nagar, Haryana, Leela Raikwar (56) wife of Ramcharan Raikwar, resident of Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, K Radha (66) resident of Chennai, Suresh Kumar Ahuja (66) son of Jawaharlal Ahuja, resident of Pune, Maharashtra, as well as residents Nikhil Thakur (26) son of Jeet Singh, resident of Tikri, Udhampur and Vicky Sharma (36) son of Devraj, resident of Dhanori Katra, who worked at the prepaid counter established at Banganga.
However, both the people working at the prepaid counter have suffered minor injuries and were discharged after first aid. Seeing the critical condition, devotees Rajendra Bhalla, K Radha, and K. Upana were referred to the Shrine Board’s Narayan Hospital for better treatment. During the treatment, devotee K. Upana died. Heavy rain is continuing in the Katra area along with the Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Despite this, devotees are continuing their journey to Vaishno Devi with enthusiasm.
By 11:00 am on Monday, 21 July, approximately 8,500 devotees had registered and left for the Bhawan, and devotees are continuing to arrive. SP Katra Bipin Chandran said that one devotee has died in the accident, while the treatment of others is going on. Relief and rescue work are going on continuously in the landslide area. So that the route can be cleared as soon as possible.
