Badrinath national highway blocked following landslide, over 10,000 pilgrims stranded

Badrinath national highway was blocked on Thursday following a landslide triggered by heavy rain in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, leaving over 10,000 pilgrims stranded for hours, according to officials.

The landslide occurred around 9:50 am near Chhinka and the debris had not been cleared till late evening. The stranded pilgrims included those who were on their way to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, the officials said.

A 100-metre stretch of the highway was affected by the landslide, leading to a huge traffic jam. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the highway, they said.

The stranded pilgrims are waiting in Gauchar, Karnaprayag, Nandprayag and Chamoli and the passenger vehicles in Badrinath, Joshimath and Pipalkoti for the route to be restored, an official release issued here said.

Though the pilgrims are stranded, they are secure, it said.

Many pilgrims are also stranded at the spot where the landslide occurred. They are being provided food and water by the district administration, an official said.

Water tankers are also stationed at the spot to supply drinking water to the stranded pilgrims.

Efforts were being made to clear the rubble and traffic on the route was expected to be restored by late Thursday night, the official said.

Many places in Chamoli were lashed by heavy rains on Wednesday night.