Katra 2nd Sept 2024: A landslide on the new route to the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu-Kashmir’s Reasi district on Monday resulted in the deaths of two women pilgrims, while a girl was seriously injured. Officials said that the landslide occurred around 2:35 pm near Panchi, three kilometers ahead of the Bhawan, damaging a part of the iron structure above. A rescue operation was launched immediately after the landslide, and the injured girl was rushed to the hospital.
According to officials, two women pilgrims died in the landslide on the new track to the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu-Kashmir’s Reasi district on Monday, while a girl was seriously injured. The deceased women pilgrims have been identified as Neha (30), wife of Amit, a resident of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and Sapan (25), wife of Amit Kumar, a resident of Gurdaspur, Punjab. The seriously injured girl has been rescued from a deep gorge and taken to the Narayan Hospital of the Shrine Board for treatment.
Officials said that a part of the iron structure above was also damaged. They said that the pilgrims were on their way to the temple when they got trapped under the iron structure after the landslide. Reasi’s Deputy Commissioner, Vishesh Paul Mahajan, citing the initial information report, said that two women have died in the incident and a girl is seriously injured. He said that senior police and civil administration officials have reached the spot and are awaiting detailed information.
Officials said that a rescue operation was launched immediately after the landslide, and the movement of pilgrims on the track was stopped. It is worth noting that earlier in 2022, on New Year’s Day, 12 pilgrims died and 16 were injured in a stampede at the temple.”