Kedarnath Yatra in Uttarakhand, which reopened to pilgrims after a two-year hiatus, has been halted amid orange alert, Pramod Kumar, CO Rudraprayag said on Monday.
An orange alert is issued when there is isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall consecutively for three days.
Speaking to news agency ANI, CO Rudraprayag said the devotees have been stopped and have been urged to return to their hotels.
"After the orange alert & incessant rain since morning, we have stopped devotees on foot & have been urging them to return to their hotels... do not hike to the temple for now & stay safe," he said.
He said an orange alert is for tomorrow as well. "We have stopped around 5,000 people from Guptkashi. Heli services are also closed for now," he added.
Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert on May 24 and 25 for the northern hills.
"In the hills like Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir we have kept an orange level warning because the convection is higher today," Senior Scientist RK Jenamani told ANI.
In related news, as many as 60 pilgrims have died on the Char Dham Yatra this year, DG Health Dr Shailja Bhatt told ANI on Monday.
"60 pilgrims have died on the Char Dham Yatra route so far. 66% of deaths occurred due to diabetes and hypertension. Pilgrims who are medically unfit are being advised not to travel," she said.
