Keonjhar: The Keonjhar district administration is working dedicatedly to ensure the safe rescue of four local residents trapped in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, due to adverse weather conditions and recent landslides. Following the state government’s instructions, officials are maintaining constant communication with the stranded individuals and providing necessary assistance.
Keonjhar District Magistrate Vishal Singh has personally contacted the Rudraprayag District Magistrate, requesting assurance of the four devotees’ safety. The Rudraprayag Magistrate has assured that all four people will be shifted to a safe place tomorrow if the weather turns favourable.
The four Kanwariyas have been trapped for the past three days following a massive landslide caused by a cloudburst. The stranded individuals are Sadanada Sahu (35) from Jagmohanpur village, Kartik Khilar (44) from Saruali village, Maheshwar Pradhan (54) from Chandrashekharpur village and Rushinath Mahant (28) from Kempasada village.
The group had offered prayers at the Kedarnath temple on July 31 and was scheduled to return home on August 1. However, their plans were disrupted when the Kedarnath highway between Sonprayag and Gourikund was washed away due to the cloudburst on the night of July 31. A bridge on the route was also destroyed by landslides, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and leaving over 1,000 devotees stranded.
In response to the crisis, the Air Force, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescue operations in the affected area.
