Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], September 3 : The Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) on Wednesday rescued two persons who had fallen ill on the Kedarnath Yatra route and shifted them to hospital, officials said.
The operation was carried out in the Munkatia sliding zone under the Sonprayag area. The SDRF Post in Sonprayag received information from the Rudraprayag Disaster Control Room that two commuters travelling from Gaurikund towards Sonprayag had fallen sick and were stranded due to a road blockage near Munkatiya.
Acting swiftly, the SDRF team, led by Sub-Inspector Bhagat Kandari, reached the spot. Both persons were safely escorted across the sliding zone and taken to Sonprayag Hospital in an ambulance.
Meanwhile, due to continuous heavy rainfall in Uttarkashi, the Gangotri National Highway (NH) has reached the stage of cracking near Dharasu Band. Keeping in mind the seriousness of the situation, District Magistrate (DM) Prashant Arya inspected the site on Wednesday and immediately directed the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to take safety measures for the road.
The DM directed the BRO and the police administration to ensure strong security arrangements at the said place and make the movement of local people completely safe. He said that due to heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, incidents of landslides have been reported at many new places on the Yamunotri and Gangotri highways.
The National Highway is getting blocked repeatedly due to landslides. The working department is engaged in making it smooth. Presently, the blocked road near Dharasu has been made smooth.
Torrential monsoon rains and severe floods have wreaked havoc across northern India, severely impacting regions in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Uttarakhand.
Over the past few weeks, relentless downpour has triggered landslides, flash floods, and widespread waterlogging, claiming numerous lives, displacing thousands, and causing extensive damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and livelihoods.
As swollen rivers breach danger levels and roads remain blocked, rescue and relief operations are in full swing, with central and state authorities, alongside the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), working tirelessly to provide aid and restore normalcy.
In Uttarakhand, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by thundershowers and lightning, in multiple districts over the next 24 hours.