Thirty people have lost their lives after heavy rains triggered a landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra, said Paramvir Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi.
The landslide occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari cave temple, located on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine.
“A landslide incident has occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari, some injuries are feared. Rescue operations are underway along with required manpower and machinery. Jai Mata Di,” the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) had said in a post on X.
The landslide and continuous rains also hit railway services in the region.
Eighteen trains were cancelled due to the suspension of traffic on the down line between Pathankot Cantt and Kandrori following soil erosion and flash floods in the Chakki river, officials said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday termed the landslide “extremely tragic”.
In a post on X, Shah stated that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams had already been rushed to the scene soon after the incident.
“The landslide incident caused by heavy rains on the Vaishno Devi Yatra route in Jammu and Kashmir is extremely tragic. In this regard, I have spoken with the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Omar Abdullah ji, and the Lieutenant Governor, Shri Manoj Sinha ji. The local administration is engaged in relief and rescue operations to assist the injured, and the NDRF team is also reaching there,” he wrote.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed condolences to the families and directed officials to provide immediate assistance to those injured in the accident.
“Deeply distressed to know that an unfortunate landslide triggered by incessant rain claimed the lives of devotees at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. My condolences to the bereaved families & I pray that the injured recover quickly. Directed officials to provide immediate assistance,” the LG Office posted on X.
Sinha added that the officials were monitoring the situation across the Jammu division amid heavy rainfall and urged people to follow advisories.
After speaking to Amit Shah, CM Omar Abdullah also posted on X, “Just spoke to the Union Home Minister@AmitShahji on the phone to brief him about the situation in J&K, especially Jammu province, where heavy & continuous rains have caused a lot of damage and disruption to normal life. Efforts are being made to restore phone/data connectivity as soon as possible.”
