3 bodies recovered from Kedarnath route, over 20 still missing: Officials
The Rudraprayag district administration restored the pedestrian movement on the trek route after repair work, which saw damages at 29 locations
Dehradun: The state disaster response force (SDRF) has recovered three bodies from the Kedarnath trek route, which saw destruction after heavy rainfall on July 31, while over 20 people continue to remain missing, officials said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Rudraprayag district administration restored the pedestrian movement on the trek route after repair work, which saw damages at 29 locations, officials said.
Around 260 labourers were engaged in the repair work, which began on August 7, a day after chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the officials concerned to promptly repair the national highway and pedestrian route. Some pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Haryana successfully reached Kedarnath Dham using the trek route, according to officials.
According to the Rudraprayag police, they have so far recovered seven bodies from the route, while over 20 are still missing.
SDRF Commandant Manikant Mishra said, “On Thursday, some labourers engaged in the repair work informed us that they saw bodies under the debris near Lincholi. Upon receiving the information, our team led by sub-inspector Prem Singh rushed to the spot and carried out a search operation. We found three bodies.”
Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said, “Since April 1, SDRF, district disaster response force (DDRF), and police teams have been carrying out search operations on the entire pedestrian route. On Wednesday, three bodies were recovered near Chhoti Lincholi.”
The two bodies were identified as Krishna Patel and Sumit Shukla, both residents of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, while the identification of the third is being ascertained, said officials.
“The bodies were taken out of the debris after 7 hours of struggle and shifted to the Bhimbali helipad to airlift them. However, the helicopter operation couldn’t be carried out due to bad weather,” Rajwar said.
Head constable Rajesh of the Sonprayag police station said, “As of yesterday, 22 people were reported missing. With the recovery of three bodies on Thursday, we are yet to confirm if they are among the 22 missing people. Until this verification is complete, we cannot adjust the number of missing individuals. Therefore, the count remains at 22.”
“The death toll has now risen to 7,” said police.
A press release by the government said, “The Kedarnath trek route was damaged at various locations due to heavy rainfall on July 31. As the priority, the pilgrims stranded on the trek route were evacuated safely in the rescue operation conducted under the supervision of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the leadership of district magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar. Apart from this, there was a challenge to repair the trek route at a fast pace to restore the Kedarnath yatra. In the entire 19 km trek route, damages were reported at 29 locations. With swift work from the district administration, except in one or two locations, the trek route has been repaired. In these locations, we have deployed the security personnel to help pilgrims move forward.”
“So far, 10.93 lakh devotees have visited the Kedarnath temple this year. These days, around 150 to 200 pilgrims are reaching the Kedarnath Dham on a daily basis,” the release said.
On August 6, CM Dhami visited the affected areas in Rudraprayag district and conducted an aerial survey. He also held meetings with the officials and affected people. The CM reviewed the relief and rescue operations and reconstruction works in the areas affected by heavy rains.
The government had then said that nearly 12,500 pilgrims have been rescued from the Kedarnath trek route in Rudraprayag district since May 31. Senior officials of the Uttarakhand government on August 12 said efforts will be made to restart the Kedarnath Yatra within two weeks.
At a height of nearly 3,500 meters above sea level, the Kedarnath temple is located near the river Mandakini in the Rudraprayag district. The shrine was the worst affected area during the 2013 flash floods, with Kedarnath town suffering extensive damage.
