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Dehradun: Joint rescue teams safely evacuated 10,450 pilgrims stranded on the Kedarnath route in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag following a sudden landslide at Munkatiya, officials said on Thursday.

According to the officials, the landslide occurred between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on Tuesday late night after heavy rainfall in the region. The debris blocked the main highway and trapped a large number of pilgrims.

Continuous rockfalls, heavy rainfall, darkness, and challenging mountainous terrain created a highly difficult situation for the stranded travellers.

The District Control Room (DCR) Rudraprayag alerted the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) at 9.16 pm. A rescue team from Sonprayag immediately rushed to the spot with the necessary equipment.

The SDRF and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) then launched a joint relief and rescue operation.

The joint teams guided the 10,450 stranded pilgrims across the affected stretch. The rescue personnel motivated the pilgrims amid continuous rainfall and low visibility.

The teams shifted the evacuated pilgrims to designated safe locations.

Officials deployed JCB machines to clear the accumulated debris after completing the rescue operations.

The authorities restored the highway and resumed normal vehicular movement shortly after.

SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said the teams stationed along the pilgrimage route maintained high alertness.

Yaduvanshi added that this advance deployment facilitated a quick response and effective coordination.

Workers cleared the debris, and the blockage was removed, and the stranded vehicles left the area, the official added. PTI AKY RD RD