by Syed Shadab Ali Gillani
SRINAGAR: What began as a pilgrimage of faith turned into a day of tragedy on Tuesday when a massive landslide struck the Vaishno Devi shrine route in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district, burying pilgrims under boulders and debris. The death toll has now risen to 34, with rescuers pulling out more bodies on Wednesday, while at least 19 others remain injured and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
The landslide hit near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari, about halfway along the 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine, around 3 pm, triggered by incessant torrential rains. The pilgrimage was immediately suspended, leaving thousands of devotees stranded. “The disaster struck suddenly, with rocks and mud coming down in seconds. People had no time to run,” an eyewitness said.
“There are 15 injured in Narayana Hospital of whom one kid is seriously unwell,” MP Jugal Kishore told Kashmir Life. “Four more are in Katra hospital, and all are recuperating.” He said two of the dead are stated to be locals, but their identity is not known. “As many as 29 have been identified, and the remaining five are being identified. The dead are from Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, UP and Rajasthan. They are being shifted to GMC Jammu for mandatory postmortem, and then they will be handed over to their families.”
Kishore said the weather conditions are improving. “The rains have stopped, but the yatra is still closed,” he said, while visiting the injured.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed grief over the loss of lives and questioned why pilgrims were allowed on the route despite warnings of heavy rainfall. “Why were they not stopped or moved to safe locations? This has to be discussed once rescue efforts are over,” he told reporters in Jammu.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, took to social media to announce relief measures for those affected by the recent landslide at Mata Vaishno Devi and other flood-related incidents across the Union Territory over the past two days. He said that an ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh, including Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund and Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, will be provided to the families of those who lost their lives. For the injured, the Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for those with severe injuries and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries. He also directed the advance placement of Rs 10 crore with each Deputy Commissioner to ensure immediate relief, rehabilitation, and restoration measures.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed sorrow, saying his “thoughts are with the bereaved families” and assured full assistance from the Centre.
The Vaishno Devi disaster is the deadliest incident in a series of rain-related tragedies that have claimed at least 38 lives across Jammu and Kashmir over the past two days. Four people, including three women, were earlier reported dead in an extreme weather situation in Doda. Heavy monsoon downpours, the highest in Jammu in more than a century, unleashed landslides, flash floods and widespread devastation.
Jammu recorded 380 mm of rainfall in just 24 hours till Wednesday morning, breaking records set in 1910. Floodwaters inundated large parts of Jammu city and adjoining districts, submerging residential colonies, damaging bridges and disrupting power and communication lines. In Doda, four people, including three women, were killed in landslides and house collapses.
The swollen Chenab and Tawi rivers rose more than 10 feet above danger marks, washing away bridges and road stretches. Over 10,000 people have been evacuated from flood-prone villages in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, while thousands remain stranded due to blocked highways and landslide-hit link roads.
With several rail and road routes cut off, connectivity in the region has been paralysed. Northern Railways cancelled 58 trains to and from Jammu and Katra, while another 64 were either short-terminated or diverted due to flash floods and erosion near the Chakki river. Air traffic has also been affected intermittently.
All schools and colleges in JK have been ordered shut until further notice, Education Minister Sakina Itoo announced. Internet and phone services, which snapped on Tuesday due to damage to optical fibre cables, were restored on Wednesday after 24 hours of disruption.
The Army, NDRF, SDRF and local police are engaged in large-scale rescue efforts. More than 5,000 people have been shifted to safer places, including families from Peerkho, Gujjar Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Nikki Tawi and several low-lying areas of Jammu city. In Samba, BSF posts along the swollen Tawi river were submerged, forcing personnel to retreat to safer ground.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah conducted an extensive tour of flood-hit Jammu, inspecting damaged bridges and interacting with affected residents. He assured people that a relief package would be formulated after an assessment of the damage. “We have some relief today as the rains have stopped and water levels are slowly receding. But the damage caused is immense and will take time to restore,” he said.
The floods and landslides come just weeks after a cloudburst in Kishtwar’s Paddar area left 65 people dead and dozens missing. Wednesday’s twin disasters, the Vaishno Devi landslide and floods across Jammu, have reignited fears about the growing vulnerability of the Himalayan region to extreme climate events.
As Jammu and Kashmir battles to emerge from the devastation, the immediate priority remains rescuing those still stranded and restoring essential services. But for the families of the 34 pilgrims who lost their lives on the sacred trek, the Vaishno Devi tragedy will be remembered as a black chapter in the history of the revered shrine.
