Due to heavy rains in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir, there was a landslide on the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra route in Katra on Monday morning. The landslide took place at around 8 am near the Banganga area of the early journey, where most of the pony riders gather on the old route. Many pilgrims were injured due to this landslide. According to the information received, big stone and debris suddenly fell from the mountain in the Banganga area located on the old journey route from Katra to the building, causing chaos in the passengers.
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BMO (Block Medical Officer) Rashpal Bangotra said that there is no report of any casualty so far. 6 devotees came to me in an injured state, 4 of whom had bone injuries, and we have shifted them to Narayana. We received this information around the morning, and in 15 minutes the devotees came to us. Family members of the injured said that we had come here yesterday from the Amarnath Yatra and were going to visit Vaishno Devi temple. In the morning, when we were booking tickets for horses, this accident happened. First stones were falling, then suddenly landslide, stampede occurred and my mother’s leg broke. Many devotees were also buried in landslides.
Rescue teams, including pits carriers, palanquin service providers, Shrine Board employees and policemen, took quick action and took out the pilgrims safely. The rescue operation was immediately started and four stranded pilgrims were rescued and taken to the hospital. According to eyewitnesses, the shelter sites on the travel route were also badly damaged due to landslides. Fortunately, a large tragedy was averted by timely intervention by the rescue team.
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This part of the path is one of the oldest and most commonly used routes for pilgrims from which thousands of people pass daily. After this incident, the movement on the route has been temporarily stopped.
#WATCH | Katra, Jammu and Kashmir: A landslide occurred in the Ban Ganga area of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi track. Clearing work is going on: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
Visuals from the spot pic.twitter.com/faVEhQW4Mx
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