Two dead, three critically injured in landslide on Kedarnath trek route

Rescue operation underway after boulders rolled down from hills near Jangalchatti, on the Kedarnath route in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, on June 18, 2025. | Photo Credit: PTI

Two persons died while three got critically injured after they were hit by a landslide on Kedarnath trekking route in Uttarakhand on Wednesday.

According to the Rudraprayag district administration, the landslide occurred at 11.20 am near Jungle chatti ghat causing boulders to roll down the hillside hitting pilgrims and palanquin operators.

This is the second fatal incident of landslide at the Jungle Chatti route of the temple after a pilgrim died in a similar accident on Sunday.

The dead were identified as Nitin Kumar and Chandrashekhar, residents of Jammu & Kashmir, who came to Uttarakhand in May to operate palanquin service on the Kedarnath route.

The injured were identified as Sandeep Kumar, Nitin Manhas, both palanquin operators from Kashmir and Akash Chitriya, a pilgrim.

“As the landslide hit them, those in contact of it fell into a gorge. Police and SDRF personnel rushed to the spot and launched a search and rescue operation,” said Nandan Singh, district disaster management officer.

He added that it took three hours for the rescue teams to pull out the bodies from the deep gorge and take the injured to hospitals.

The administration urged the pilgrims, who are taking Kedarnath yatra, to regularly check weather information and follow the guidelines while trekking. The officials advised people to exercise extreme caution on the mountain routes and in case of any emergency, contact the nearest help center or helpline number.

The Char Dham pilgrimage in Uttarakhand comprise of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath temples. According to the State tourism department, over 30 lakh pilgrims have taken the yatra this year among which approximately 11 lakhs visited Kedarnath. 

Published - June 18, 2025 10:16 pm IST