Tragedy at Vaishno Devi: Landslide Sparks Chaos and Destruction

A calamitous landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir has escalated the death toll to 34, with at least 20 others injured. The deluge ensued after heavy rains battered the region, causing the shrine route in the Reasi district to be suspended immediately.

The landslide hit the midway point along the 12-km path from Katra to the sacred site, just days after heavy rains persisted. Officials noted that while the Himkoti trek was halted in the morning, the old route continued until 1:30 pm before being ceased amid relentless weather conditions.

On Wednesday, river levels began receding, but the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar breached flood alerts, impacting residential areas. With massive damages reported to infrastructure, urgent assessments are underway, while telecommunication services experienced a temporary outage during this tumultuous period.

(With inputs from agencies.)