10,000 people stuck as Rishikesh-Yamunotri Highway safety wall collapses
Around 10,000 people are reportedly stuck at different places on the Rishikesh-Yamunotri Highway in Uttarakhand after a portion of the security wall of the highway leading to the Yamunotri temple collapsed on Friday. The incident led to the closure of the highway, and traffic came to a half on the road. As per reports, it will take around three days to reopen the highway.
Evacuation operations underway: Report
Rajesh Pant, Executive Engineer, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), said continuous efforts are being made to reopen the road. The administration is trying to evacuate the passengers from some of the smaller vehicles. However, people who have come from far in big vehicles are unable to leave. Reportedly, many buses and other large vehicles were stopped from passing through the area.
Thousands of pilgrims stranded
Thousands of Char Dham pilgrims were also reportedly stranded due to the incident. As many as 24 buses and 15 minibuses with pilgrims on board have been stopped. They were taken to the nearby ashrams and safe shelters.
Highway was shut for over 24 hours earlier
Friday's incident happened hours after the highway was reopened for traffic on Thursday evening. It had been closed for over 24 hours after a 15-meter stretch of the highway, between Sayanachatti and Ranachatti, got washed away due to heavy rains on Wednesday. Due to this, only small vehicles were allowed to pass through, while the movement of buses and other heavy vehicles was suspended.
