Sachin Kumar Vaishya, the officiating Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board and District Magistrate of Jammu, rushed to the site to oversee operations
By PC Bureau
Following incessant rainfall, a massive landslide struck the old track to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Reasi district on Monday morning, claiming the life of one devotee and injuring nine others, including five pilgrims. As a precautionary measure, the yatra to the shrine has been suspended until 1:00 PM
The incident, triggered by heavy rainfall, occurred around 8:30 AM at Gulshan Ka Langar near Banganga, the starting point of the 13-km pilgrimage route to the cave shrine atop Trikuta hills.
According to the MET office Katra town recorded 184.2 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours ending 8.30 am Monday.
Officials reported that a booking office and an overhead iron structure collapsed under the weight of the landslide, which was caused by heavy rains lashing Katra town, the base camp for pilgrims.
The India Meteorological Department recorded 184.2 mm of rainfall in Katra over the 24 hours ending at 8:30 AM on Monday, contributing to the disaster.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, authorities have directed the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board to provide the best possible medical care and support to the injured. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic landslide incident at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in which a devotee unfortunately lost his life,” Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said in a post on X, adding that the situation is being closely monitored.
Sachin Kumar Vaishya, the officiating Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board and District Magistrate of Jammu, rushed to the site to oversee operations. “The landslide resulted in critical injuries to three persons and minor injuries to seven others.
All the injured were rescued and taken to hospital,” Vaishya told reporters. A full-fledged rescue and debris clearance operation is underway, involving local volunteers, Shrine Board staff, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, Indian Army personnel, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.
An earth-mover was deployed to expedite the rescue efforts.The critically injured pilgrims, identified as Uppan (70) and his wife K. Radha (66) from Chennai, and Rajinder Bhalla (70) from Haryana, were admitted to Narayana Hospital. Leela Raikwar (56) from Uttar Pradesh is receiving treatment at the Community Health Centre in Katra.
Three others—Suresh Kumar (66) from Maharashtra, and locals Nikhil Thakur (26) and Vicky Sharma—were discharged after receiving first aid.
Nikhil Thakur, a survivor, narrated the entire sequence before being hit by a landslide: “I was inside the booking office when stones started hitting the overhead iron structure. We alerted others and rushed out, fearing a landslide.” He noted that the presence of a small group of devotees and pony riders at the scene, due to the heavy rains, likely limited the scale of the tragedy. Another landslide had blocked the new track near Himkoti on Sunday night, and efforts to restore it are ongoing. Pilgrims are being guided to use alternate routes to ensure their safety.
