Landslide on Vaishno Devi Track Kills 2 Female Devotees, Another Injured

Katra: Two female devotees lost their lives and another was injured when a landslide occurred on the Himkoti track leading to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi hill shrine in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

The landslide occurred near Panchi, 3km ahead of Bhawan, on the new Himkoti track at 2.35 pm. A portion of the overhead iron structure on the track was damaged by the landslide.

The track was briefly closed following the incident. Helicopter services were also suspended for some time.

As reported by The Hindustan Times, the Chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Anshul Garg, said, “The yatra has been disrupted on the Himkoti track owing to the landslide caused by shooting stones in the wake of rainfall over the past few days. Disaster management teams of the board are at the spot for rescue and relief. The yatra, however, continues uninterrupted on the old Sanjhichatt track.”

The CEO confirmed that two women pilgrims died on the spot and another pilgrim was injured in the incident.