Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudraprayag, 22 May: The monsoon season is yet to begin in Uttarakhand and, already, incidents of landslides and boulders falling have started happening in the hills. A tragic accident occurred on the Kedarnath pilgrimage route today when massive boulders and debris suddenly fell from a hillside near Hanuman temple in Sonprayag. Panic spread as the rocks came crashing down, leading to chaos among pilgrims and locals present in the area. A local person Ummed Singh Negi, aged 48 and resident of Baret village, died on the spot, while a Nepali national, Bum Bahadur, aged 42, sustained serious injuries. The injured has been rushed to the district hospital where his condition remains critical. The incident also damaged nearby shops and created a stampede-like situation for a short while.
The eyewitnesses reported that the stones fell with a loud roar, forcing people to run for safety. The accident occurred at a time when movement of the pilgrims and the locals was underway on the route. Immediately after the incident, local residents, police and administrative teams reached the site and began rescue operations. District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar confirmed that the injured were sent to hospital without delay, while the deceased succumbed on the way.
Following the accident, the administration swiftly removed shops located at sensitive and dangerous spots and temporarily evacuated the area in view of continuing rockfall and potential hazards. Officials stated that with changing weather conditions, cracking hillsides and frequent landslides, special vigilance is being maintained along the pilgrimage route. The administration has appealed to pilgrims and locals not to halt unnecessarily in vulnerable areas and to strictly follow instructions issued.
The recurring incidents of landslides and falling rocks between Sonprayag and Gaurikund have heightened concerns among pilgrims. Local residents warned that continuous rockfall could lead to bigger tragedies in the coming days and demanded permanent and robust safety measures along the route. The death of the local youth has cast a pall of grief over the region, while the condition of the injured Nepali citizen remains precarious.
