Family members of those stranded in Kedarnath anxiously await their return

Family members of people stranded in Kedarnath following incessant rains in parts of Uttarakhand are anxiously awaiting their safe return.

Over the past few days, the state has been battered with torrential rains that led to flash floods and landslides and the national weather forecasting agency had issued a red alert.

Kishorbhai Doshi hailing from Gujarat's Rajkot said that his brother Rajubhai Doshi and other family members who had gone for the Char Dham Yatra were stranded in Kedarnath.

"My younger brother had gone for Char Dham Yatra. They left on October 12. When they reached Kedarnath, it rained heavily and the situation got worse. Some of them are stuck there. When the weather gets better, they will be able to leave," said Kishorbhai Doshi.

Karishma, whose father and mother are stranded in Kedarnath said, "We spoke to them and they are safe. They are however stuck in a room as it is heavily raining. We are anxiously waiting for them to return home."

Uttarakhand Police in a tweet informed that the Yamunotri-Gangotri, Kedarnath Dham Yatra has resumed again. However, due to the closure of Badrinath Highway near Joshimath, the Badrinath Yatra could not be restarted but soon the Badrinath Yatra will also be resumed, police said.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that the intensity of the rainfall in the state has slowed.

"There has been massive damage. It will take time to return to normalcy - roads were washed away, there were landslides, rivers changed their routes, villages were affected, bridges collapsed," he said.

The chief minister said that 46 people have died after heavy rains in Uttarakhand while 11 people are missing.