Landslide on Vaishno Devi track: 2 pilgrims dead, one injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi

Representational Pic/File/iStock

Two women pilgrims died while a girl was injured in a landslide on the new track to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Monday, officials said, reported the PTI.

According to the officials, the landslide hit the route near Panchi, three kilometres ahead of Bhawan around 2.35 pm, as per the PTI.

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A portion of an overhead iron structure was also damaged, the officials said.

The pilgrims were heading for the shrine when they got trapped under the iron structure following the landslide, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Reasi Vishesh Paul Mahajan quoted the preliminary information report to say that two women have died and a girl has been grievously injured in the incident, according to the PTI.

Senior police and civil administration officers have rushed to the spot, and further details are awaited, he told PTI.

Mahajan is heading to Katra -- the base camp for the pilgrims visiting the shrine atop Trikuta hills.

Officials said a rescue operation was launched immediately after the landslide and movement of pilgrims on the track was suspended.

On New Year's Day in 2022, a stampede at the shrine left 12 pilgrims dead and 16 injured, the news agency reported on Monday.

Landslides block Badrinath national highway in Uttarakhand

Landslides triggered by heavy rain left the Badrinath national highway in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district blocked at several points, reported the PTI.

The highway is blocked at Pagalnala, Patalganga and Nandaprayag and efforts are being made to reopen it, the district disaster management centre here said.

Seven shops in the Simli market were damaged by landslide debris, it said.

The Jyotirmath-Malari road connecting the India-China border including the Karnaprayag-Gwaldam national highway has also been blocked due to a landslide, the district disaster management centre said.

Meanwhile, a mudslide took place on Saturday just above Punchirimattam here, which was the epicentre of the July 30 landslides that claimed over 200 lives in the district.

The district administration said that it has warned those engaged in search operations and other work in that area to exercise caution.

Over 200 people died and 78 are still missing in the landslides that hit Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas of Wayanad on July 30.

(with PTI inputs)