Extremely heartbreaking: Kharge condoles loss of lives in Vaishno Devi landslide

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday described as "extremely heartbreaking" the death of 32 people in the Vaishno Devi landslide and conveyed his condolences to the affected families.

The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended when the mountainside gave way and stones, boulders, and rocks came hurtling down around 3 pm on Tuesday, catching people unawares.

"The news of the death of 32 people due to heavy rains and landslides on the Mata Vaishno Devi route in Jammu and Kashmir is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to all the affected families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said in a post on X.

Kharge said several states and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, are gripped by heavy rains and flood-like situations.

"Our Congress government and administration teams in Himachal are fully engaged in relief and rescue operations with complete readiness.

"In this difficult situation, I expect the Congress leaders and workers in all these states to provide every possible help to the victims," he said.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said the J-K Pradesh Congress Committee expresses deep shock over the loss of lives due to landslides en route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine near Adhkawari.

"Our deep sympathies with the bereaved families and prayers for the early recovery of the injured. Rescue and relief should be top priority," he said in a post on X.

After record rains over the past two days, the death toll in related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 36, most of them victims of the landslide on a Vaishno Devi route, while there was some let-up in the showers on Wednesday, allowing relief efforts to pick up pace.

Water level in the swollen rivers across Jammu showed signs of receding, but the flood alert mark was breached by the Jhelum in Anantnag and Srinagar, and water entered several residential areas, prompting authorities to assure residents that they are monitoring the situation and people should not panic.

At least 20 people were injured in the Vaishno Devi landslide, triggered by incessant heavy rain, and are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

The landslide struck near the Inderprastha Bhojnalaya at Ardhkuwari, about halfway along the winding 12-km trek from Katra to the shrine, at around 3 pm on Tuesday. PTI SKC SKC NSD NSD