Dehradun/Mussoorie: A total of 8,495 pilgrims have been rescued along the Kedarnath trek route after heavy rains caused significant damage on Wednesday night, media reports said on Saturday.

Uttarakhand’s State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), intensified the rescue operations, continued their efforts on Saturday, reported Hindustan Times.

By 3 PM, 1,101 people had been rescued via the Gaurikund-Sonprayag alternative route, the Kedarnath-Chaumasi trek, and 414 by helicopters.

A state government release stated that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is overseeing the rescue operation.

Vinay Shankar Pandey, the Commissioner of Garhwal Division, has been appointed as the nodal officer for the restoration of infrastructure on the Kedarnath route as per the directions of CM Dhami.

An order from RK Sudhanshu, Secretary of the Public Works Department, outlined measures in response to the damage from heavy rainfall.

Senior officials from relevant departments will visit the district to assist with rescue and restoration efforts, with the Commissioner of Garhwal Division serving as the nodal officer to ensure effective implementation of these measures.

According to the report, Rudraprayag district information officer Rati Lala sad the rescue teams have recovered three bodies from different locations along the Kedarnath route since Wednesday night

A team from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has successfully restored the Chirbasa helipad, which had been closed due to a landslide. The restoration of this helipad has significantly aided the rescue operations, according to Manikant Mishra, Commandant of the SDRF.

Manikant Mishra stated that the helicopter services from Chirbasa helipad had been entirely disrupted due to a landslide caused by heavy rainfall.

He mentioned that their team had removed large boulders from the helipad, making it operational again, which provided significant relief for the rescue teams.

By 3:30 PM, they had rescued 40 people from Chirbasa helipad, he added.

On July 31, the Kedarnath trek route was severely damaged at several points due to landslides caused by heavy rainfall, prompting operations to rescue stranded pilgrims.

Many people were initially unable to contact their families due to the heavy rain and network issues, said Rudraprayag superintendent of police (SP) Vishakha Ashok Bhadane.

Bhadane dismissed reports that a large number of people are missing.

Based on the available information, those who were previously unreachable have reconnected with their families, and many have reached home after being rescued.

Bhadane urged the people not to believe any misleading information and instead to contact the police for updates on their stranded family members along the Kedarnath trek route. Officials stated that they continue to provide food packets to the stranded pilgrims along the Kedarnath route.

“On the third straight day, the district food and supply department distributed food packets among the pilgrims stranded in Bhimbali and other locations along the trek route. On the other hand, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) has also made food arrangements for the stranded pilgrims in the Kedarnath shrine area,” district informatics officer Rati Lala was quoted as saying by HT.

Garhwal MP Anil Baluni conducted an on-ground inspection of the disaster-affected areas in Sonprayag on Saturday.

During his visit, he carried out both aerial and ground inspections, assessing the condition of the affected individuals and those being rescued.

Baluni directed the district administration for the rescue of stranded pilgrims and local residents at various locations.

On Friday, Indian Air Force’s Chinook and Mi-17V5 helicopters were stationed at Gaucher to assist in rescuing the stranded people along the Kedarnath trek route and in the Kedarnath shrine.