Badrinath NH blocked following landslide; pilgrims stranded

The Badrinath national highway was blocked on Thursday following a landslide triggered by heavy rain near Chhinka in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, leaving hundreds of pilgrims stranded.

The stranded pilgrims included those on way to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, officials said. A mound of debris accumulated on the road in the wake of the landslide near Chhinka blocking the national highway leading to Badrinath, they said.

It caused a huge traffic jam on the road leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. Efforts are on to clear the rubble and restore traffic along the route at the earliest, they said.