Bridges collapse as heavy rainfalls continue

With some bridges at various places like Sonprayag along the Char Dham Yatra routes having collapsed following heavy rainfall and landslides, the State Disaster Response Force personnel have been conducting relief and rescue operations since Thursday. They have so far evacuated around 500 tourists stranded along Char Dham Yatra routes. Thousands of tourists are also reportedly stranded at various locations along the same routes, officials said. 

A company of SDRF comprising 150 personnel has been deployed at various important junctions along the pilgrimage after the Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre had issued a warning of heavy shower and landslips along the route on Wednesday and Thursday, said SDRF battalion Commandant P Renuka Devi on Friday. Moreover, 535 pilgrims who were stranded at Kedarnath were airlifted to safer place in Sonprayag.

Following heavy rainfall in Sonprayag, 100 metre stretch of the road collapsed. Informed that around 25 persons remained stranded between Gorikund and Sonprayag, SDRF team found on reaching there that 38 persons were stuck. They evacuated all of them, said P Renuka Devi, adding that they were evacuated through rope.

In Chamoli district, the SDRF personnel have evacuated large number of pilgrims and shifted them to safer places through alternative routes. Besides, three temporary bridges collapsed at Mayundar and Dhadhriyal.

Apart from evacuating the pilgrims stranded in danger areas along the Yatra routes, SDRF personnel are also constructing temporary bridges, she added.

Around 100 SDRF personnel equipped with sufficient equipments have been deputed at five identified points from Sonprayag to Kedarnath. A SDRF team, consisting of 15 members, has been kept on reserve at helipad, Sahastradhara to be deployed for the evacuation of stranded pilgrims in case of emergency.

Along the Kedarnath yatra routes, SDRF team, comprising 15 to 25 personnel, have been deployed at places like Sonprayag, Gaurikund, Bheembali, lincoli and Kedarnath. A sub-team, consisting of eight SDRF personnel, has been deployed at Govindghat in Chomali, Harshil (lanka) in Uttarkashi, Srinaghar in Pauri and Pithoragarh with necessary rescue equipments.

In order to facilitate the pilgrims, a paramedic equipped with sufficient medicines and equipments has been deputed along with each of the SDRF teams along the yatra routes.The SDRF personnel are still conducting relief and rescue operations to evacuate the stranded pilgrims in Chamoli district. Bridle path from Gorikund and Kedarnath is open. Not a single pilgrim is stranded in Kedarnath Dham, as  per SDRF report.