2 Dead, 7 Missing After Uttarakhand Cloudburst, Char Dham Yatra Suspended

At least two labourers were killed and seven others went missing after a cloudburst triggered a landslide in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district early Sunday.

The cloudburst washed away a labourers' campsite, where 19 workers were staying, near an under-construction hotel in the Silai area along the Yamunotri National Highway, officials said. While 10 workers were rescued, nine went missing.

Bodies of two missing labourers were recovered from the banks of the Yamuna River near Tiladi Shaheed Smarak, about 18 km from the place where the landslide occurred, the news agency PTI reported, citing Sub-Inspector Vikram Singh.

उक्त स्थान पर यमुनोत्री हाइवे का 10-12 मीटर हिस्सा वास आउट हो गया है, मार्ग को सुचारु करने का कार्य जारी है, मार्ग सुचारु होने मे समय लग सकता है। सुरक्षा के दृष्टिगत पुलिस द्वारा तीर्थंयात्रियों को सुरक्षित स्थानों पर रोका गया है।#RoadUpdate #rescue pic.twitter.com/2Z30vgk0hv

— Uttarkashi Police Uttarakhand (@UttarkashiPol) June 29, 2025

A senior official said they received information about the incident around 3 am.

"There is an under-construction hotel near Silai. Adjacent to it, a new landslide zone has developed where no such incident had occurred before -- it was considered a safe area," Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya said in a video statement.

"The rubble cascaded down near the hotel and hit the labourers' campsite," he said.

Multiple teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), its state counterpart, SDRF, and the police are involved in the rescue operations, Mr Arya said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he is constantly in touch with the officials and prayed for everyone's safety.

Char Dham Yatra Suspended

Mr Arya also said the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand has been postponed for a day in light of heavy rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Uttarakhand for Sunday and Monday, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and lightning at several isolated locations.

He also directed officials to curb the overcharging of food items.

The Char Dham Yatra, one of the most sacred pilgrimages in India, attracts lakhs of devotees every year. The journey follows a clockwise route through Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

Every year after Diwali, the doors of the Char Dhams are closed for devotees and reopen in April-May the following year.

During the six-month-long pilgrimage, lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad visit the Char Dhams.