Uttarkhand Landslide: The Badrinath National Highway is blocked near Nandaprayag and Bhanerpani, halting passenger movement and causing significant disruption for pilgrims and travellers.
Continuous rainfall across Uttarakhand has triggered landslides and debris flow, particularly at Sirobgad, where the Badrinath-Rishikesh highway was blocked on Saturday.
As a result, passengers heading to Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Hemkund Sahib have been forced to halt at safe locations. Authorities have deployed JCB machines to remove the debris and restore connectivity. Police have established a presence on both ends of the blocked highway to ensure safety and manage the situation. “Work is underway on a war footing to open the highway,” said Anuj Kumar, Circle Officer (CO) of Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal District, underlining the urgency.
Chamoli Police also confirmed the situation in a post on social media platform X, stating, “The Badrinath National Highway is blocked near Nandprayag and Bhanerpani. Work is underway to open the road.” This highway is a crucial route for pilgrims en route to Kedarnath, making its reopening a top priority.
In a related development, persistent rainfall forced Rudraprayag district authorities to temporarily restrict movement on the Sonprayag-Munkatiya road on Friday. Debris and falling stones near the Sonprayag shuttle bridge and a sliding zone in Munkatiya completely obstructed the route, halting the movement of pilgrims to Kedarnath. As a precaution, the Kedarnath Dham Yatra pilgrims were stopped at Sonprayag and Gaurikund.
Following clearance operations, the road was partially reopened. Pilgrims were then allowed to continue their journey towards Kedarnath, while returnees from Gaurikund were escorted back to Sonprayag. The administration, working in coordination with the police and other agencies, is closely monitoring the route, and traffic is being managed with extra caution. Pilgrims have been urged to stay alert and check weather forecasts before proceeding.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts continue for the second consecutive day in the Alaknanda River following a tragic bus accident in Rudraprayag on Thursday. Four people have been confirmed dead, with the latest body recovered near the Srinagar dam in Pauri Garhwal, approximately 40 kilometres from the crash site.