Halted due to flash floods, Vaishno Devi yatra resumes

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Jammu, August 20

Temporarily suspended overnight amid flash floods due to heavy rain, the pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Reasi district resumed on Saturday morning. The rain fury also left two minors dead when a kutcha (earthen) house collapsed due to a landslide in Udhampur district.

landslide damages Several houses

The landslide that hit Muttal in Udhampur left several houses damaged. Though pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine has started, the battery car track and the copter service are still suspended.

Over 1,500 devotees were allowed to resume the journey on the old track at 6.30 am from Darshani Deodhi in Katra, the base camp for the yatra. The Himkoti (battery car) track, also known as the new track, is still closed due to the ongoing clearance operation, even as the helicopter service remained suspended due to bad weather, officials said.

The pilgrimage was temporarily suspended on Friday evening following heavy rains in the Trikuta hills. Thousands of pilgrims were present at the shrine when it started raining heavily at 6 pm and continued till midnight. Several videos shared on social media showed flood-like situation on the Vaishno Devi track.

Anshul Garg, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, said there was no report of any casualty or damage due to the heavy rainfall.

In Udhampur, the two minors died due to landslide have been identified as three-year-old Arif and two-month-old Ghani, resident of Samole in Muttal area. Only the kids were present in the house when the landslip, which brought boulders downhill, hit the area. Officials said several other houses in the area were also damaged.

Vinod Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Udhampur, said the bodies had been handed over to the family after completion of formalities. Police and revenue officials reached the spot after receiving information. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha tweeted, “Extremely pained by the loss of lives in Muttal, Udhampur. Directed the district administration to provide necessary assistance to the affected family.”

(With PTI inputs)