Rescue teams have evacuated 1,400 people to safety from the rain-ravaged trek route to Kedarnath in Uttarakhand

In Uttarakhand, more than 1,400 people stranded on the rain-ravaged trek route to Kedarnath were evacuated to safety yesterday after air rescue operations gained momentum with the weather clearing in the Kedar Valley. Indian Air Force’s Chinook and MI17 helicopters aided in the evacuation of pilgrims, supplementing the efforts of smaller helicopters. While 136 pilgrims were rescued by IAF and state helicopters, 509 were brought to Lincholi on foot from Kedarnath and then flown to Chardham and Shersi helipads.

Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman reported that, apart from them, 584 people were rescued from Gaurikund via Sonprayag and 172 others via Chaumasi. He confirmed that most of the pilgrims have been brought to safety from Lincholi, Bhimbali, and Gaurikund. Since the start of the rescue operations last Thursday, more than 11,775 people have been relocated to safe places. Currently, only priests, shopkeepers, and horse and palanquin operators remain in Kedarnath, along with about 50 pilgrims who chose to stay.

Adequate arrangements for food, water, and accommodation have been made for those relocated to Sonprayag, Shersi, Chaumasi, Chardham helipad, and Kedarnath helipad. Heavy rainfall and a cloudburst on July 31 washed away the Kedarnath trek route at several locations, including Lincholi, Bhimbali, Ghorapadav, and Rambada, stranding pilgrims to the Himalayan shrine. Landslides also damaged the route at other points. The Army has begun constructing a footbridge on the Sonprayag-Gaurikund road on the Kedarnath National Highway and has installed a trolley in Sonprayag for the movement of the differently abled, sick, and elderly.