A tragic landslide struck the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Tuesday, August 26, afternoon, leaving five people dead and 14 others injured. The incident occurred amid relentless heavy rainfall that has been battering the region, prompting officials to suspend the pilgrimage to the revered shrine atop the Trikuta hills.
Rescue operations are currently underway near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, where the landslide took place around 3 pm. The site is located roughly midway along the 12-km trek leading up to the hilltop shrine. Authorities have deployed teams to assist those stranded and to ensure the safety of other pilgrims.
Earlier in the day, the yatra along the Himkoti trek route had already been suspended due to inclement weather. Pilgrims were allowed to proceed via the old route until 1:30 pm, after which the journey was halted completely as torrential rains made conditions too dangerous for travel.
