2 die in landslide on Vaishno Devi track

Jammu, September 2

Two women, who were on their way to the Vaishno Devi shrine, died in a major landslide in Reasi district on Monday. The mishap that occurred on the Himkoti track around 2.30 pm also left a girl severely injured.

The area witnessed heavy downpour during the past few days, loosening the soil adjacent to the track. Although there was an iron roof to protect pilgrims from shooting stones and landslips, it could not protect the victims as heavy boulders and mud broke the iron roof.

As this path to the shrine was blocked due to the landslide, the pilgrimage was continued on the old Sanjhichat track. Senior district administration officials, including Reasi Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan, and senior police officials visited the area to assess the situation.

The two women who died in the landslide belonged to Gurdaspur in Punjab and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. A rescue operation was immediately launched on the direction of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Anshul Garg, and the bodies were retrieved. The injured girl was also taken to a hospital.

Sources said that the site was being cleared, but the route would the opened for pilgrims once repair work was completed.

L-G Manoj Sinha expressed grief over the loss of lives of the pilgrims due to the unfortunate mishap on the Vaishno Devi shrine track. The L-G has also approved an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to be given to each of the next of kin of the deceased and other assistance, as provided in the rule, to the affected families.

In a condolence message, the L-G said: “Extremely pained to learn about the loss of precious lives of pilgrims due to the unfortunate incident of shooting stones on Vaishno Devi track today.”

“My deepest condolences to bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for the early recovery of the injured. I have directed the shrine board and the Reasi district administration to provide all necessary assistance to the affected families and ensure best care for the injured,” he said.