NEW DELHI: Heavy rain in Jammu and Kashmir triggered a landslide on the Mata Vaishno Devi yatra route in Katra on Monday morning, injuring 10 people including 5 pilgrims. The incident took place at approximately 8.50 am near Banganga at Gulshan Ka Langar, which serves as the yatra’s starting point and is frequently used by pony riders along the traditional route, officials told PTI.Sachin Kumar Vaishya, the acting Chief Executive Officer of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, informed reporters that three people sustained serious injuries while seven others received minor injuries. All casualties were promptly evacuated to hospital.
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Vaishya, who also serves as district magistrate Jammu, visited the site and confirmed that comprehensive rescue and clearance operations were in progress.Local volunteers, shrine board personnel, SDRF, police and CRPF teams immediately initiated rescue efforts, according to officials.An earth-moving machine was deployed to expedite the rescue operation.The seriously injured patients – Uppan (70) from Chennai, K Radha (66), and Rajinder Bhalla (70) from Haryana – received treatment at Narayan hospital. Leela Raikwar (56) from Uttar Pradesh was treated at Katra’s community health centre.Suresh kumar (66) from Maharashtra and local residents Nikhil Thakur (26) and Vicky Sharma were released after receiving first aid.“I was inside the booking office when stones started hitting the overhead iron structure and we alerted others and rushed out fearing a landslide,” Thakur told PTI over phone after receiving treatment for his foot injury at the community health centre.He noted that due to heavy rainfall, only a small number of devotees and pony riders were present at the location.The meteorological department reported that Katra town received 184.2 mm of rainfall during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 am Monday.A separate landslide on Sunday night blocked the new track near Himkoti, with restoration work currently underway.
