Dehradun: Ongoing search operations to locate two pilgrims who went missing after a landslide struck the Yamunotri trek in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district entered the third day on Wednesday as rescuers continued to battle challenging terrain and incessant rainfall. The rescue operation was halted on Tuesday evening due to low visibility and resumed around 7 am on Wednesday (Sourced/HT)

“Teams from various agencies started their search operation for the third day and deployed sniffer dogs for the search of two missing people,” Uttarkashi district disaster management officer (DDMO) Shardul Gusain said.

The two missing people have been identified as Kamlesh Jhethwa (35), a resident of Mumbai, and Bhavika Sharma (11), a resident of New Delhi.

At least five people got trapped under the landslide debris near 9 Kaichi Bhairav temple on Monday around 4 pm.

More than 118 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, and other departments like fire, health, animal husbandry, forest, electricity, and public works department (PWD) were involved in the rescue and search operation.

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Two bodies were recovered from the debris and an injured man was rescued by Monday evening. The rescue operation was halted on Tuesday evening due to low visibility and resumed around 7 am on Wednesday.

“At the landslide site near point 9 Kainchi Bhairav temple on the Yamunotri trek route, debris, boulders and loose rocks have been removed from the pathway and hillside. We had stopped the movement of pilgrims on the trek route on Tuesday, but the pilgrims are now being released in batches from Janaki Chhati for Yamunotri Dham. On the way back from Yamunotri Dham to Janaki Chhati, the pilgrims are being diverted through an alternative route,” Gusain said.