Jammu: The death toll in the landslide near the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine route has climbed to 32, officials said on Wednesday. Rescue operations are still underway near Ardhkuwari, where the landslide struck on Tuesday. Many people are feared trapped under debris near the Indraprastha eatery, and teams are engaged in evacuation efforts.
The landslide occurred almost midway along the 12-km trek from Katra town to the hill shrine. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy in a post on social media platform X.
Authorities suspended the yatra on the Himkoti route earlier in the day, while the old route remained open until 1.30 p.m. before being halted as a precaution due to heavy rains.
To support relief efforts, a C-130 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force carrying rescue material arrived in Jammu on Wednesday. The aircraft, carrying supplies of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), had taken off from Hindon Air Force base in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
