At least two workers were killed in Uttarakhand on Sunday due to a landslide at their campsite at an under-construction hotel, triggered by a cloudburst.

According to officials, 7 other workers are missing from their campsite along the Yamunotri National Highway.

The landslide occurred at Silai Bend about 4 km ahead of Paligad, Uttarkashi. The labourers were engaged in the construction of a hotel.

District Magistrate Prashant Arya said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SDRF, and police personnel are jointly conducting search and rescue operations at the site on a war footing.

Sub-Inspector Vikram Singh said the bodies of two labourers were recovered from the banks of the Yamuna River near Tiladi Shaheed Smarak, about 18 km from the place where the landslide occurred.

The highway is blocked by landslide debris at Silai Bend and Gujri Bend.

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20 evacuated DM Arya said 29 labourers were at the campsite when the landslide occurred, washing away around 10 metres of the highway. 20 of them were evacuated to safety while nine went missing.

He said that a new landslide zone has developed close to the hotel site.

Soon after, the bodies of two of the 9 missing men were found, the DM said. The deceased were identified as Dujelal (55) from Pilibhit and Keval Visht (43) from Nepal.

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Details of missing labourers The labourers were from Nepal, Dehradun and Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit.

Roshan Chaudhry (37)

Anveer Dhami (40)

Kallu Ram Chaudhry (60)

Sar Katel Dhami (32)

Jaichand (38)

Chhotu (22)

Priyansh (20) Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami prayed for the safety of the missing labourers. “Search and rescue operations are underway at the site. I am constantly in touch with the officials concerned,” he said.

‘Red alert’ in Uttarakhand The MeT department has issued a red alert for heavy rains on June 29 and 30 in various districts of Uttarakhand, including Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Haridwar, Nainital, Champawat, and Udham Singh Nagar.

This has prompted authorities to put the Chardham Yatra on hold for a day for the safety of pilgrims.

Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said the Chardham Yatra has been postponed for a day as a precautionary step due to continuous heavy rainfall in the state and the possibility of landslides.