📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Nitin Maletha
Weather
Landslide Blocks Badrinath Highway, Halts Kedarnath Pilgrimage Amid Heavy Rain in Uttarakhand
✍️ The New Indian Express
🗓 28 Sep 2026, 02:02 AM
👁 11
Heavy rains in Uttarakhand have triggered a landslide that closed the Badrinath highway and forced authorities to suspend the Kedarnath yatra.
Heavy monsoon showers swept across Uttarakhand on Tuesday, causing intense runoff that destabilised slopes along the Badrinath‑to‑Chamoli stretch. A sizeable landslide descended onto the national highway, burying the carriageway and rendering it impassable for vehicular traffic.
State officials immediately cordoned off the affected section and deployed rescue teams to assess the damage. The blockage has disrupted normal road movement, forcing commuters and transport operators to seek alternate routes that add several hours to travel time.
The same weather system forced the closure of the Kedarnath yatra, as pilgrimage authorities deemed the route unsafe for devotees. Pilgrims already on the trek were instructed to return to designated safe points, while future arrivals have been advised to postpone their plans until conditions improve.
Authorities continue to monitor rainfall intensity and are prepared to issue further advisories. Emergency shelters have been set up in nearby towns to accommodate stranded travelers and pilgrims.
State officials immediately cordoned off the affected section and deployed rescue teams to assess the damage. The blockage has disrupted normal road movement, forcing commuters and transport operators to seek alternate routes that add several hours to travel time.
The same weather system forced the closure of the Kedarnath yatra, as pilgrimage authorities deemed the route unsafe for devotees. Pilgrims already on the trek were instructed to return to designated safe points, while future arrivals have been advised to postpone their plans until conditions improve.
Authorities continue to monitor rainfall intensity and are prepared to issue further advisories. Emergency shelters have been set up in nearby towns to accommodate stranded travelers and pilgrims.