Rudraprayag: Amid ongoing rescue operations to evacuate stranded pilgrims along the Kedarnath yatra route, a major hurdle was created when a temporary bridge built by the Army on the Mandakini river in Sonprayag got washed away due to the heavy rains on Tuesday night.
The rescue through the pedestrian routes is hampered
The SDRF teams are continuously carrying out rescue and search operations on the Kedarnath yatra route and today, on Wednesday, 150 local people and travelers stranded in Gaurikund are being safely rescued via pedestrian routes. Apart from this, a group of 60 local people and travelers is being rescued by 01 sub-team of SDRF from Lincholi. According to district disaster management officer, Nandan Singh Rajwar, “210 people are being rescued on foot but now a problem has arisen due to the bridge being washed away.
Poor visibility hampers aerial rescue
Amid adverse weather in Kedarnath valley, aerial rescue operations could not be started by helicopter services till now. Meanwhile, rescue operations are continuing on foot amid adverse conditions. Today, 231 people have been safely brought to Sonprayag from Kedarnath. After 231 people reached Chhani Camp from Kedarnath, the rescue team brought them to Gaurikund from the landslide-affected Lyncholi. Meanwhile, 516 people have reached Jungle Chatti.
This bridge had provided great relief in rescue and relief operations
More than 1500 people are still present in Kedarnath Dham, including some pilgrims. Meanwhile, 12000 pilgrims have been evacuated till now. From here, these people were sent via the highway to the Sonprayag landslide-affected area, where everyone was brought safely to the market through a temporary bridge built by the Army over the Mandakini river. The temporary bridge built by the Army on the Mandakini river in Sonprayag had provided great relief in rescue and relief operations, but this bridge was washed away due to intense rains.
Repair work is required at 29 different sites
Following a cloudburst on July 31, significant damage occurred along the Kedarnath Dham trek route. The road between National Highway Sonprayag and Gaurikund suffered destruction at multiple locations. Notably, approximately 15 meters of the road near Ghoda Padav near Gaurikund collapsed, and an additional 60 meters of road was lost in Jungle Chatti. Overall, repair work is required at 29 different sites. There are also preparations to transport 10 folding bridges from different places to Kedarnath via Chinook or foot route.