Officials said that a landslide on the Kedarnath highway on Monday morning claimed two lives and injured six others. The accident happened at 7:34 am near Munkatiya, located between Sonprayag and Gaurikund. According to Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar, heavy debris with big rocks slid down the hillside at Munkatiya and struck a moving vehicle. Two passengers died instantly.
Names of Victims Released
Six other passengers in the vehicle suffered injuries, with two of them badly hurt, Rajwar said. All injured were taken to the government hospital in Sonprayag. Later, the two in critical condition were shifted to a bigger medical centre. Those who lost their lives were identified as Rita (30) and Chandra Singh (68), both belonging to Barkot in the Uttarkashi district. The injured were recognised as Mohit Chauhan, Naveen Singh Rawat, Pratibha, Mamata, Rajeshwari, and Pankaj, all of whom are also residents of Uttarkashi.
Rain-Related Disasters Continue
Heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand has been causing deaths almost every day. On Sunday, two people lost their lives in separate rain-linked accidents in the Tehri and Pithoragarh districts. On August 29, heavy rains and cloudbursts caused large landslides across several areas of the state, leaving six people dead and 11 others missing. Numerous houses were damaged, and some residents were trapped under the debris. The districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri, and Bageshwar suffered the worst impact. This disaster occurred only a few days after the Tharali incident on August 23, where one woman lost her life and another went missing.
Uttarakhand’s Ongoing Struggle With Monsoon Fury
This monsoon season has been particularly harsh for Uttarakhand. Before the Tharali incident in Chamoli, a devastating flash flood struck the Kheer Ganga River on August 5. Nearly half of Dharali, a major stop on the Gangotri route with many hotels and homestays, was washed away. The sudden flood also caused damage to the army camp located near Harsil. As many as 69 people have remained missing since then and are yet to be found.
