A landslide triggered by heavy rain near Chhinka in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district washed away a key part of Badrinath national highway, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded. The highway has now been blocked for use.
Visuals showed huge cracks emerging near the highway due to the falling of stones from the hill.
The stranded pilgrims included those on way to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, officials said. A mound of debris accumulated on the road in the wake of the landslide near Chhinka blocking the national highway leading to Badrinath, they added.
The blockade caused a huge traffic jam on the road leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. Efforts are on to clear the rubble and restore traffic along the route at the earliest, officials said.
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Passengers going from Badrinath to Haridwar were stopped by the police at the Birhi checkpost for security reasons, till the road opens. The Chamoli administration has been distributed drinking water and snacks to the stranded pilgrims.
The incident comes days after a flash flood-like situation occured in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district which left over 200 people stranded near Baggi Bridge on Mandi Prashar Road. Landslides occurred at many places between Charmile to Satmile on Pandoh-Mandi national highway in the state. Mandi-Kullu road via Katola was also shut down due to heavy landslides near Kamand.
Meanwhile, The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded an orange alert for very heavy rain in parts of Uttarakhand.
