A massive landslide struck the old track leading to the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Monday morning, leaving 10 people injured, including five pilgrims. The incident occurred around 8:30 am near Gulshan Ka Langar, close to Banganga, the starting point of the yatra. The landslide, triggered by relentless rainfall over the region, caused a booking office and an overhead iron structure to collapse under the debris.
Authorities immediately suspended the pilgrimage till 1 pm as a safety precaution. According to officials, the injured included three critically wounded — Uppan (70) and his wife K Radha (66) from Chennai, and Rajinder Bhalla (70) from Haryana — who were admitted to Narayan Hospital. Another pilgrim, Leela Raikwar (56) from Uttar Pradesh, is undergoing treatment at the community health centre in Katra, while others, including locals Nikhil Thakur and Vicky Sharma, were treated and discharged after first aid.
Officiating CEO of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya, who rushed to the site, confirmed that a full-scale rescue and debris clearance operation was launched immediately. The joint effort involved local volunteers, police, CRPF, SDRF teams, and shrine board staff, with earth-movers deployed to expedite rescue work.
Eyewitness Nikhil Thakur recounted the moment disaster struck: “I was inside the booking office when stones started hitting the iron roof. We alerted others and ran out just in time.” He said the number of pilgrims was relatively low due to the ongoing heavy rains.
The Meteorological Department reported Katra received 184.2 mm of rainfall over the last 24 hours ending Monday morning. Meanwhile, another landslide on Sunday night blocked the new track near Himkoti, with restoration efforts still underway.
