Nine labourers have been missing after a landslide hit their camp near Silai Band of Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi following heavy rainfall since late Saturday night. The rain has also led to the Char Dham Yatra being suspended for a day.

According to officials involved in the rescue operations, the incident took place 4-5 km ahead of Paligad, on the Yamunotri National Highway, near Silai Band. Of the 19 workers at the labour camp that was hit by the landslide, 10 were moved to safety. Rescue operations are ongoing to search for the other nine.

The nine missing workers have been identified by the disaster management authorities. They are: Duje Lal (55), Keval Thapa (43), Roshan Chaudhary (40), Vimla Rani (36), Kalluram Chaudhary (55), Bobby (38), Chotu (22), Priyansh (20), and Manish Dhami (40). Prima facie, they were labourers deployed for construction of a hotel in the area.

Story continues below this ad

The State Disaster Management Authority said it received information about heavy rainfall at around 2.12 am on Sunday. The District Emergency Operations Centre then dispatched a joint team.

Relief and search-rescue operations are being undertaken by teams from the police, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force, Revenue Department, and Health Department, among others.

Around 10–12 metres of the Yamunotri highway at this location has been washed away. Restoration work on the road is underway, and as a precaution, police have asked Char Dham pilgrims to stay put at safe locations.

SDRF officials said a major landslide was triggered due to the intense rainfall. Though a team from SDRF was immediately dispatched for relief and rescue operations, the road closure forced the team to reach the site on foot. “Nineteen were residing in the camp, and several ran away when the landslide hit. We assume others were asleep. Efforts to locate them are ongoing,” said an officer.

Story continues below this ad

“Giving top priority to public safety, the administration has regulated traffic on the affected routes and halted pilgrims at safe locations. The public is requested to avoid believing in or spreading any kind of rumours, rely only on authentic information, and contact authorised departments only in case of emergencies,” a statement from the force said.

Meanwhile, in view of continuous heavy rainfall and the possibility of landslides across the state, the Char Dham Yatra was suspended for a day, Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey announced. He said this precautionary measure has been taken to ensure the safety of lives and property, so that pilgrims stranded on the routes do not face any inconvenience and can be safely moved to secure locations. The district administrations concerned have been placed on alert, and relief and rescue teams have been activated. Commissioner Pandey further said a decision regarding the resumption of the Yatra would be taken Monday after reviewing the weather conditions and road status. Pilgrims have been urged to follow the guidelines issued by the administration and to refrain from proceeding towards the pilgrimage sites until the weather improves.