A landslide blocked part of the road leading up from Joshimath to Badrinath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand on Friday, ANI reported. The landslide, caused by a huge rock rolling down the slope of a hill and blocking the road near Vishnuprayag, has caused thousands of pilgrims heading to Badrinath to be stranded, Hindustan Times said. The Indian Express pegged the number of marooned tourists and devotees at 15,000.
The pilgrimage has been stopped and those stranded have been directed to various major camps and halts on the route to Badrinath.
“All arrangements related to food and accommodation for the pilgrims are being made by the respective district administrations,” Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre’s executive director Piyoosh Rautela told HT.
District Collector Ashish Joshi said Border Roads Organisation personnel are working to clear the road and it will be opened for traffic by Saturday afternoon, The Indian Express report added.
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