Cloudburst toll in Uttarakhand rises to 17, with over 9,000 people rescued from Kedarnath

At least 17 people have died so far in a cloudburst that struck Uttarakhand on July 31. More than 9,000 pilgrims have been rescued from the Kedarnath trekking route, which was damaged due to heavy rainfall. However, over 1,000 pilgrims are still stranded on the damaged trekking route to Kedarnath, with the army building a bridge in Sonprayag to speed up rescue operations. 

The cloudburst in Uttarakhand triggered landslides on the Kedarnath trekking route, causing significant damage. The number of deaths rose to 17 as another body was recovered from Rudraprayag on Saturday. The trek route to Kedarnath suffered extensive damage from the cloudburst in Junglechatti near Lincholi on July 31. Pilgrims got stranded beyond Bhimbali along the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek route when a 20-25 meter stretch of the road was washed away by the swollen Mandakini river. 

Over 1,000 pilgrims are still waiting to be evacuated in Kedarnath, Gaurikund, and Sonprayag areas since the rescue operations began on Thursday. If the weather improves, all the remaining pilgrims could be rescued on Sunday. The weather office has predicted heavy rainfall in several parts of Uttarakhand until August 8. 

As many as 882 relief personnel are working around the clock to provide food, water, and shelter to the stranded pilgrims and aid in rescue efforts to evacuate them safely. The Indian Army is building a temporary bridge at Sonprayag, one of the landslide-hit areas, to expedite the evacuation of the remaining pilgrims. 

Rescue operations are still underway to find one person who is missing, while 25 people sustained injuries in rain-related incidents. The Kedarnath yatra was temporarily suspended after the cloudburst, with an advisory from the Rudraprayag administration asking pilgrims to wait wherever they are until the route is cleared of debris and repaired. Two helpline numbers—7579257572 and 01364-233387—and one emergency number, 112, have been issued by the district administration to help people get information about their stranded families among the pilgrims.

Earlier on Saturday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, informing him about the extensive damage caused to the Kedarnath trek route and the national highways due to the cloudburst. Dhami urged the speedy restoration of the trek route and national highways, considering the expected rush of both pilgrims and tourists after the monsoon. Gadkari assured him of all possible help to deal with the calamity.

Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey was appointed the nodal officer for basic infrastructure restoration work on the Kedarnath trek route. Rudraprayag District Magistrate Saurabh Gaharwar said it might take one week to clear the debris on the Kedarnath trek route and restore it if the weather permits. He also mentioned that work on repairing a 150-meter breached stretch of the route will begin soon.