At least nine people were killed and dozens injured on Tuesday afternoon after a landslide struck Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir. The incident took place near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari — on the Vaishno Devi Yatra route. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also announced that pilgrimage to the shrine atop Trikuta hills would remain suspended as a precautionary measure.
“A landslide incident has occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, some injuries are feared. Rescue operations are underway along with required manpower and machinery” reports quoted the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board as saying.
Unverified reports had earlier suggested that at least a 100 pilgrims may have been trapped due to the landslide. Later updates confirmed that 21 people had been injured during the incident in Katra. The deceased as well as the injured people were taken to CHC Katra after rescue.
Pilgrims asked to replan their yatra
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board subsequently issued a request for pilgrims to replan their journey to the revered shrine once the weather improved. The board had suspended the yatra at 1.30 pm amid heavy rains across Jammu region. The message came hours after a massive landslide hit the route leading to the shrine at Adhkuwari.
Torrential rain across Jammu
Rivers overflowed amid torrential rainfall across the Jammu region on Tuesday — with the raging waters flattening everything in their way, and boulders, trees and rocks hurtled down slopes. More than a dozen people were killed within a matter of hours. Infrastructure was also severely damaged with bridges collapsing and mobile towers and electricity poles breaking like virtual twigs. The Jammu District Administration evacuated more than 3,500 residents as several areas saw flashfloods on Tuesday. Telecom services also collapsed in large parts of the union territory — leading to millions being cut off from communication and escalating problems.
(With inputs from agencies)