Two palanquin carriers hailing from Jammu and Kashmir lost their lives after a landslide took place on the trek route to the Kedarnath shrine and it also injured three others including a pilgrim from Gujarat.
According to Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshay Prahlad Konde, the landslide occurred at 11.20 am near Junglechatti Ghat along the route where boulders rolled down the hillside and hit the pilgrims, palanquins and porter operators on that side of the hill.
According to PTI, the dead were identified as Nitin Kumar and Chandrashekhar, who were both palanquin carriers from Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The injured were identified as Sandeep Kumar and Nitin Manhas, both palanquin carriers from Doda in Jammu and Kashmir and one pilgrim named Akash Chitriya from Bhavnagar in Gujarat.
Reportedly the victims fell into a gorge after being hit by the rubble of the landslide. Two persons died on the spot while three others were injured. Two seriously injured men were referred to a health centre in Gaurikund.
Police and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search and rescue operation.
Police and SDRF personnel as well as locals had a tough time pulling out the dead as well as the injured out of the gorge with the help of ropes.
The movement of pilgrims along the route is now under police protection.
