Lagatar24 Desk
Dehradun, May 23: The Char Dham Yatra to Kedarnath was halted on Monday in Uttarakhand due to strong winds, heavy rain, and snowfall, although pilgrimages to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hemkund Sahib, and Badrinath went on as planned.
Uttarakhand | Kedarnath Yatra halted amid orange alert
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: Pramod Kumar, CO Rudraprayag pic.twitter.com/0UGe3YITCG
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 23, 2022
On Sunday, the Hemkund Sahib Yatra began, with 5,000 pilgrims allowed to visit the shrine each day. The district administration halted the pilgrimage to the Kedarnath shrine in Rudraprayag, citing the pilgrims’ safety.
Due to the severe rain, pilgrims who have arrived in Ukhimath, Sonprayag, and Gaurikund have been instructed to stay there until further notice, according to district disaster management officer NK Rajwar, since winds, thunderstorms, and lightning pose a risk to them on their approach to Kedarnath.
In its special forecast for the Char Dham area, the India Meteorological Department has issued a warning for thunderstorms with hail and lightning until 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. It also issued a warning for high-velocity winds in the 70-80 km/h range. Between 8.30 a.m. Sunday and 8.30 a.m. Monday, Uttarakhand received 10.7 mm of rain.
