Daijiworld Media Network - Dehradun

Dehradun, Sep 28: Nearly 1,500 pilgrims stranded at Chirbasa on the Kedarnath trek route were rescued and escorted safely to Gaurikund on Monday following a landslide, officials said.

Joint teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) carried out the rescue operation after the pilgrims were stranded late on Sunday night, the SDRF said in a statement.

Sonprayag police received information that several pilgrims were stranded in the Chirbasa area, located around 3 km from Gaurikund, after a landslide blocked the route.

An SDRF team from Sonprayag, led by Sub-Inspector Ashish Dimri, reached the spot and found debris accumulated on the road near the Chirbasa helipad. Continuous rockfalls from the hillside also made movement through the area extremely hazardous.

Assessing the situation, the SDRF, NDRF and DDRF teams launched a joint rescue operation. The teams carefully guided the pilgrims across the landslide-affected stretch and safely escorted them to the other side before sending them onward to Gaurikund.

Meanwhile, the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Sunday due to incessant heavy rain, officials said.