5 Killed, 14 Injured in Landslide on Vaishno Devi Yatra Route Amid Heavy Rains in J&K
Tragedy struck the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage on Tuesday as a massive landslide, triggered by relentless heavy rains, killed five people and injured 14 others on the route to the revered shrine. The pilgrimage has been suspended following the incident, which occurred on the Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district.
Officials said the landslide hit near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, a point roughly halfway along the 12-kilometer trek, at around 3 pm. Rescue operations are currently underway at the site. The yatra had already been partially suspended earlier in the day on the newer Himkoti route due to the downpour, but authorities were forced to halt the pilgrimage completely on the old route as well by early afternoon.
The incident is part of a wider crisis unfolding across Jammu and Kashmir, which has been battered by three consecutive days of torrential rainfall. Earlier on Tuesday, a cloudburst in Doda district killed four people and damaged over 10 houses, bringing the total number of deaths in rain-related incidents in the region to nine in just 24 hours.
The severe weather has wreaked havoc on the region’s infrastructure. Major rivers and streams are flowing above the danger mark, inundating low-lying areas. In Pahalgam’s Betaab Valley, the Sheshnag Nallah breached its all-time record water level, raising fears of a cloudburst in the upper reaches.
The crucial Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the only all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country, has been closed due to landslides and shooting stones in the Ramban district. The Northern Railway has also cancelled 18 trains, and widespread network disruptions have been reported due to damage to optical fibre cables. Authorities have issued urgent warnings, urging people to stay away from hill slopes and water bodies as the situation remains critical.