300 people trapped as major landslide in Uttarakhand cuts off road

At least 300 travellers are left stranded in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district as a result of a major road being destroyed by a landslide. The Lipulekh-Tawaghat route, located at Lakhanpur, 45 kilometres above Dharchula, washed away 100 metres when a significant portion of the hill fell on the road, leaving the travellers trapped in Dharchula and Gunji, said the district administration in an ANI report.

The route is anticipated to be opened for traffic after two days, according to reports. The state's Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, Dehradun, Garhwal, Hardwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar, and Uttarkashi districts have received a dust storm and thundershower warning from the weather servi

Police issue warning against unnecessary travel

The police have also issued a warning and requested that all pilgrims remain in secure locations, not undertake any unnecessary travel and park their vehicles at safe places until the weather is clear enough to travel.

They further added that all devotees going to the Yamunotri and Gangotri Dham Yatra have been requested to plan their journey further only after checking the weather forecast and to keep all rain gear such as rain covers, umbrellas handy along with some warm woollen clothes.

Uttarakhand most prone to landslides in India

Earlier in March 2023, ISRO had declared 2 districts of Uttarakhand namely Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal as the most landslide-prone districts in India.

The recent incidents of land subsidence reported in Joshimath in Uttarakhand brought to light the fragile nature of the land in Uttarakhand and how human activity, including indiscriminate construction of multi-storey buildings were posing a danger to human life and the environment in the mountainous state.