Vaishno Devi landslide: Survivors desperately search for their loved ones

Katra, Aug 27 (PTI) The rhythmic chants of pilgrims have been replaced with frantic footsteps of those looking for their loved ones in the wake of a disastrous landslide on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine which has claimed 34 lives till now.

In Katra, the base camp, hospitals and help desks are hubs of growing uncertainty as families run between them, holding on to the hope that their missing ones are among the survivors.

The disaster befell the busy Adhkuwari trail, a halfway point along the pilgrimage walk, where a crowded rest stop was destroyed by a torrent of rocks and debris.

For Shubam Sahu, nature's fury is for real as he and his 11-member team from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, were walking back from the shrine when the ground collapsed. Three members of his team are missing now.

"There are some people who are still unidentified," he said with a heavy voice. "That was the reason we came here," he told PTI Videos outside the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Katra.

Adhkuwari, a point about halfway along the winding 12-km trek to the hilltop shrine, has always been packed with devotees who used to take rest or enjoy meals at Indraprastha Bhojnalaya while going to the shrine or returning to the base camp – Katra.

There are two routes to the shrine -- while the yatra had been suspended on the Himkoti trek route since Tuesday morning, it was going on through the old route till 1.30 pm when authorities decided to suspend it till further orders in view of the torrential rains.

The scenes of distress are mirrored across the town. Subash from Punjab is searching for four members of his group who simply vanished after the landslide.

"Maybe they have taken shelter somewhere, but they should have returned by now," he said, unable to shake the grim possibility that something more sinister has happened.

So far, 34 people have died and 20 injured in the landslide. The rescuers including the Army, NDRF, SDRF, police and SMVDSB team are making all out efforts to clear the debris which brought down the overhead iron structure and resting sheds.

Among the dead, 20 have been identified so far and they include devotees from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Kiran from Punjab's Mohali, who was injured in the incident, was coming down the hill when she saw "stones falling down". She was able to find safety, but not without injury.

The pilgrimage, a journey of faith for thousands, is now on an indefinite pause. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) has issued a formal advisory urging pilgrims to "replan their yatra to the shrine once the weather improves".

Many of the pilgrims were also undecided whether to stay back to wait for the resumption of the yatra or return to their homes.

"We reached Katra on Tuesday evening to witness very bad weather. There was no electricity and the registration counter for the yatra was also closed," Deepa, who along with 24 others came from Haridwar, said.

She said they will wait for the next couple of days before making a final decision. "A major tragedy had happened on the way to the shrine so the yatra was suspended." Naina, a resident of Delhi, said they have booked helicopter tickets to pay obeisance at the shrine but continuous rains and the landslide have brought everything to halt.

"It is very risky to visit the shrine in the prevailing weather conditions. The train service between Katra and Jammu is also suspended," she said, asking intending pilgrims to travel with caution.

As the rescue workers clear the rubble and the rains keep on pouring, Katra's air is filled with silent prayers.

It is a town holding its breath, a place where faith is now being tested not on the winding trek up the mountain, but in the anxious waiting rooms and in the hearts of those who can only hope for a miracle. PTI CORR TAS SKL KVK KVK