Landslide leaves 45 Kailash Manasarovar pilgrims stuck in Pithoragarh

Time of India

17 hours ago

Pithoragarh: A heavy landslide delayed the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from Dharchula, a border town in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district, to Gunji on Sunday, forcing a temporary halt before the first batch of 45 pilgrims resumed their journey later in the afternoon.
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The pilgrims started their journey from Delhi on Friday and are scheduled to cross the Lipulekh Pass on July 10. They reached Dharchula from Tanakpur on Saturday and were slated to leave for Gunji, a crucial point on the route to both Kailash Manasarovar and Adi Kailash, at 9am on Sunday. However, a massive overnight landslide at Tawaghat blocked the Dharchula–Lipulekh road.
"All vehicular movement was stopped," said Bhupendra Singh Mahar, district disaster management officer of Pithoragarh.
The information reached Dharchula early Sunday morning, prompting authorities to temporarily suspend the yatra.
The tehsil administration, along with road-clearing teams, reached Tawaghat and supervised debris removal. The route remained blocked for several hours and was finally cleared around noon, Mahar confirmed.
D S Bisht, manager of a tourist guest house in Dharchula where the pilgrims stayed during the halt, said, "The yatra was put on hold for around five hours.
After the road was cleared, the first batch departed Dharchula shortly after 2pm and reached Gunji, which is around 80 km away, by 6 pm. The pilgrims will stay in Gunji for two days to acclimatise before proceeding toward Lipulekh."
The landslide also impacted the Adi Kailash and Om Parvat Yatras, stranding several vehicles and pilgrims at Tawaghat. Officials later confirmed that vehicular movement had returned to normal later in the day.
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Separately, four Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel were injured — one seriously — when a slide struck their camp near the Ailagarh suspension bridge along the Tanakpur–Tawaghat highway. They were shifted to a hospital in Pithoragarh, while more than 100 vehicles, including yatri convoys and official units, were stranded for hours.
Authorities said the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local administration are actively monitoring the yatra and assisting with logistics and safety. With more batches expected in the coming days, officials are keeping a close watch on weather conditions and road accessibility in the region. The stretch from Dharchula to Gunji has been blocked more than ten times in the past month alone due to recurring pre-monsoon landslides.