5 pilgrims killed as landslide debris falls on car in U'khand's Rudraprayag

Five pilgrims were killed after a car they were travelling in was buried under the debris of a landslide at Tarsali under Chowki Phata in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district, police said on Saturday.

According to officials, the victims, including one from Gujarat, were on their way to Kedarnath when the incident took place on Thursday evening.

"A 60-meter portion of the Kedarnathgya highway collapsed due to heavy debris falling from the hill with boulders in Tarsali. During this, a vehicle was buried in the debris here," they said.

"A vehicle buried under the debris was found on Friday, from which five bodies were recovered. One of the deceased was a Gujarat resident," officials said.

Further investigation is underway, they added.

The incident also led to the blocking of the Guptkashi-Gaurikund highway leading to Kedarnath Dham for traffic on Friday, said officials, while adding that about 60 metres of the road had been badly damaged and washed away.

Rudraprayag police said that people and passengers are facing obstruction from the police stations in the lower area (Chowki Jawadi, Kotwali Rudraprayag, Chowki Tilwada, Thana Agastyamuni, Kakdagad).

Many districts of the state, including Rudraprayag, have been witnessing incessant rain for the last couple of days.

The Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red' alert and 'Orange' alert from August 11 to August 14 in most of the districts of Uttarakhand.