The National Highway to Rishikesh-Badrinath was blocked by landslide at Hathi Parvat near Vishnuprayag on Friday afternoon. The landslide which did not result in any fatality closed this stretch of the highway to traffic.
Following the incident, the authorities held back pilgrims in Badrinath while those who had departed from the pilgrimage township had been stopped at Pandukeshwar and Govindghat.
Those who were on the route towards Badrinath were also made to stop in Joshimath and other places before the site of the landslide. The district administration and other departments concerned are reported to have made arrangements for providing overnight accommodation to the pilgrims held following the landslide.
According to official sources in the Border Roads Organisation, the stretch of the National Highway blocked to traffic by the landslide debris is expected to be cleared for the resumption of traffic by Saturday afternoon.
It is pertinent to mention that the mountainside at Hathi Parvat is stated to have been unstable since it was hit by landslide following rains during 2015.