It is feared that many perished after being swept away by the river or were buried under debris in Rudraprayag district of India's Uttarakhand state on Thursday-Friday night following a massive landslide near Gaurikund area on the Kedarnath pilgrimage route.
According to official reports, at least 13 people are missing, and a search operation is being conducted to find them.
“We got information that three shops were affected because of falling rocks and heavy rainfall...The search operation was started immediately. It was said that around 10-12 people were there but till now they have not been located,” Disaster Management Officer Dalip Singh Rajwar told Indian media.
A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team has started the search and rescue operation.
The Shree Kedarnath shrine is one of the holiest pilgrimage centers for Hindus in the Himalayan region, for which devotees have to trek for about 18 km in hilly terrain. It remains open for only six months per year, during the summer season.
However, it is generally advised to devotees not to trek during monsoon season as the area is prone to landslides. In May also, the trek was stopped for about 15 days.
In June 2013, Kedarnath witnessed one of the deadliest landslides in India’s history when a flash flood struck the overflowing banks, killing about 5,000 people.
The India Meteorological Department in Dehradun city, Uttarakhand, has issued a yellow alert for all 13 districts of the state for the next four days.
Amid the monsoon, the number of pilgrims flocking to the Kedarnath shrine has substantially reduced due to fear of rain-related incidents.