Rudraprayag: 5 killed as landslide debris falls on car in Uttarakhand

At least five pilgrims have been killed after a car they were travelling in was buried under the debris of a landslide at Tarsali under Chowki Phata in Uttarakhand‘s Rudraprayag district on Thursday.

As per details, the incident has been reported on Saturday when the rescue team found the vehicle buried in debris on Friday evening. Out of five victims, one of them  hailed from Gujarat, were on their way to Kedarnath when the incident took place on Thursday evening.

“A 60-meter portion of the Kedarnath highway collapsed due to heavy debris falling from the hill with boulders in Tarsali. During this, a vehicle was buried in the debris here,” they said. The officials further said, “A vehicle buried under the debris was found on Friday, from which five bodies were recovered. One of the deceased was a Gujarat resident.”

The Guptkashi-Gaurikund roadway leading to Kedarnath Dham was also closed to traffic on Friday as a result of this event, according to authorities. Approximately 60 yards of the road had also been severely damaged and swept away.

According to Rudraprayag police, the police stations in the lower region (Chowki Jawadi, Kotwali Rudraprayag, Chowki Tilwada, Thana Agastyamuni, Kakdagad) are obstructing persons and travellers. Notably, the state has seen persistent rainfall in numerous regions.

Apart from this, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange alert’ for the state.