Rescue Operations in Kedarnath: Over 10,500 Evacuated Amid Rain Havoc

Rescue operations in Uttarakhand's Kedarnath have entered their third day, with over 10,500 pilgrims evacuated. Around 1,300 remain stranded but are safe. Multiple agencies are involved in the rescue efforts, with airlifting also being utilized. A landslide claimed one life, and damage due to a cloudburst has been extensive.

The operation to rescue pilgrims stranded along a rain-ravaged trek route to the Himalayan Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand entered its third day on Sunday. More than 10,500 people have been evacuated, some airlifted by air force helicopters.

Officials said around 1,300 pilgrims remain stranded in Kedarnath, Bhimbali, and Gaurikund, but are safe. Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local police are engaged in the rescue efforts. Indian Air Force's Chinook and MI17 helicopters started airlifting some pilgrims from the area on Friday. Rudraprayag Superintendent of Police Vishakha Ashok Bhadane dispelled rumors of a large number of missing people following a cloudburst near the trek route. ''Almost everyone has reached home,'' she confirmed, urging the public not to believe in rumors.

She added, ''Communication issues due to poor network and adverse weather may prevent people from contacting their families.'' The pilgrim who died in a landslide near Tharu camp at Lincholi on Friday has been identified as Shubham Kashyap from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar noted that two mobile phones found near the body have been handed over to the Lincholi police outpost. The route to Kedarnath was severely damaged by a cloudburst in Junglechatti, Lincholi on Wednesday night.

Pilgrims were stranded beyond Bhimbali on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route after a 20-25 meter stretch of the road was washed away by the swollen Mandakini river.

The path to the Himalayan temple remains obstructed by boulders at Ghoraparav, Lincholi, Badi Lincholi, and Bhimbali, as the Kedarnath yatra has been temporarily halted. Officials from Rudraprayag district have advised pilgrims to remain in their current locations until the debris is cleared and the route repaired. Emergency helplines -- 7579257572, 01364-233387, and 112 -- have been set up to assist people in locating their relatives among the stranded pilgrims.