Gopeshwar: Over a thousand people have been stranded after the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway was closed on Friday near Vishnuprayag in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district because of a landslide, following which hundreds of pilgrims were feared stranded at Gopeshwar. The highway has remained closed near Vishnuprayag, one of the five confluences of the Alaknanda river, between Joshimath (also known as Jyotirmath) and Badrinath.
The landslide happened in the afternoon after large boulders rolled down the Hathi Pahar mountain. The area between the highway and Alaknanda river was filled with debris. District Magistrate Ashish Joshi told news agency PTI that the officials from the Border Roads Organisation or BRO are engaged in clearing the roads and it could be opened for the traffic by the afternoon today.
He also said that efforts are on to "provide all possible facilities to around 1,000-1,500 pilgrims who are at Joshimath, Karnaprayag, Pipalkoti, Govindghat and Badrinath." The pilgrims have been asked to stay at these places till the highway is cleared.
Though the district administration has arranged for safety of travellers at various places along the way, witnesses said that it is a big landslide and the highway could take a long time to be cleared.
Due to the landslide, pilgrims who were on their way to Badrinath have temporarily stopped at Joshimath, Pipalkoti and Karnaprayag, the district magistrate confirmed.
The landslide happened in the afternoon after large boulders rolled down the Hathi Pahar mountain. The area between the highway and Alaknanda river was filled with debris. District Magistrate Ashish Joshi told news agency PTI that the officials from the Border Roads Organisation or BRO are engaged in clearing the roads and it could be opened for the traffic by the afternoon today.
Though the district administration has arranged for safety of travellers at various places along the way, witnesses said that it is a big landslide and the highway could take a long time to be cleared.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Border Roads Organisation Invites Applications For 466 Positions, Details Here 1,200 Stranded Tourists To Be Evacuated From Sikkim Today 14 Dead As Tempo Traveller With 23 People Falls Into Gorge In Uttarakhand 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel China, Russia Concerned About India-US Relationship: Top American Diplomat "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants Liquor, Drugs Worth Rs 26.82 Crore Seized In Haryana Since Poll Code UN Says Lebanon Pager Blasts 'Extremely Concerning Escalation' Kamala Harris Calls For End To War In Gaza, No Israeli Reoccupation Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.