Why Was Vaishno Devi Pilgrimage Not Stopped, Asks Omar Abdullah After 34 Die In Landslide

The death count in Mata Vaishno Devi landslide has risen to 34, the second major tragedy during a Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir in less than two weeks.

The landslide occurred near Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Adhkwari cave temple, located on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine, on Tuesday.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also chairman of Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, visited the SMVD Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Katra, where he met devotees who had been injured. He inquired about their health condition and assured them of the best medical care.

The pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine has been suspended.

Earlier, an official said the landslide struck at the halfway point leading to multiple deaths. Officials said 31 bodies have been identified and three victims, including a child, are yet to be identified.

Questions are being raised why Vaishno Devi yatra was not suspended when there was a warning about heavy rains. This is the second time in last two weeks when a yatra was hit by cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Over 100 pilgrims were killed, and several are still missing after a cloudburst hit a Yatra in Kishtwar district on August 14.

Before Kishtwar tragedy, there was a weather warning of rains and possible cloudburst and flash floods, but the yatra was not stopped. 

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who visited multiple locations in Jammu that were hit by floods, asked why the pilgrimage was not suspended when there was a forecast of heavy rain two days before the incident.

"When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save those precious lives. A weather warning had come a few days ago. Why pilgrims were still on the track. Why were they not stopped and shifted to safer locations. We need to talk about it later," said Mr Abdullah.

Both Lt Governor and the Chief Minister have announced compensation for the families of victims.

Mata Vaishno Devi is one the holiest pilgrimages in Indian. Around 10 million or one crore people visit the cave shrine atop the Trikuta hill in Katra. 

Due to freak weather conditions, there have been multiple landslides around the Yatra track in the last two months.

Weather monitoring agencies say Jammu has received unprecedented rainfall. 

In 24 hours on Monday and Tuesday, Jammu received 380 mm of rainfall, which is the highest in last 100 years. The torrential rains have caused landslides in most parts of Jammu. Srinagar-Jammu is closed due multiple landslides.

While flash floods and landslides have left a trail of destruction, improvement in weather conditions and forecast of dry weather in next two days has given a sigh of relief to people.