‘Mountains had slid’: Vaishno Devi devotees share chilling landslide memories

Deserted premises of the entry gate for the Vaishno Devi Temple on Wednesday, after the yatra was temporarily suspended following the landslide and heavy rainfall, at Katra, in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi.

What began as a routine pilgrimage to the Vaishno Devi shrine quickly turned into scenes of fear and chaos for devotees on Tuesday, when a landslide near Adhkuwari in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district claimed 32 lives and left at least 20 others injured.

Incessant rains have been pounding the Union Territory for the fourth day now, triggering flash floods and landslides across the region.

Catch live news updates of the Jammu and Kashmir flood situation here.

Several pilgrims caught in the disaster have described harrowing moments during their interaction with the press.

One devotee recalled how quickly conditions worsened, “When we were on the way to the temple, it was only raining. When we were returning after having ‘Darshan’, the mountain had slid. We stopped at Ardhkuwari. We learned that the way had been blocked. The new road was opened after four hours… We came via the new road. The yatra has been halted for now.”

Meanwhile, for others, the situation has worsened by uncertainty about missing companions.

“I am from Amritsar. I don’t know where the people are who were with me. I have been looking for them since yesterday,” said Sunny Giri to ANI. “There were five people with me. Since I am unable to find or contact them, I assume they might be injured. I don’t know anything about any hospital here since I am not from here," he lamented.

Another pilgrim, Satish Kumar from Banaras, recalled the panic that unfolded Ardhkuwari following the disaster, “The landslides started happening at the Garbh Joon Gufa temple. The situation was chaotic… People started coming downwards via the Tarakote marg".

"The ambulances were running to and fro quickly. The yatra has been halted. The returnees are coming down via the Tarakote marg," he added.

Many devotees remain stranded, unable to leave the region due to train cancellations.

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Elderly Rajkumari Devi from Bihar’s Motihari district said, “We came here a day before yesterday. We had the Darshan. Now, we want to go home, but we are not able to as the trains are cancelled. A huge mishap has occurred. We are scared and want to go home.”

Dashrath, another elderly pilgrim from Champaran, echoed the concern, “The trains have shut down. We are facing issues with reaching Bihar. We heard that a huge mishap had happened after we had Darshan and returned. We are trapped here due to the rain. We had tickets, but the trains have shut down.”

Train operations resumed in Jammu on Wednesday after a complete suspension the previous day, officials have confirmed.

Six trains that were either cancelled or short-terminated on Tuesday, including the Jammu Tawi–Kamakhya Express, Jammu–Sambalpur, Jammu–Ambedkar Nagar, Jammu–Varanasi, Jammu–Bandra and Jammu–Chhapra, are now scheduled to run as per plan, the Public Relations Officer of Jammu Division announced on Wednesday.

The Northern Railway, on Tuesday, suspended 22 trains to and from Jammu and Katra, while 27 others were short-terminated en route owing to waterlogging, landslides and damaged infrastructure triggered by heavy downpour.

Of the 22 trains cancelled, nine were from Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine, and one originated from Jammu. The remaining were inbound services to Katra, Jammu and Udhampur.

The government, meanwhile, continues to battle widespread flooding across the Union Territory.

Rivers including the Chenab, Tawi, Ujh, Ravi and Basanter are flowing well above danger marks.

Ramban Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alyas Khan said, “Since the last two days, heavy rain has been occurring, causing the water level of the Chenab to go above the danger mark. Today, it has receded somewhat. We appeal to people not to go near the Chenab. We have also evacuated people living in lower-lying areas to safer locations… The administration is on high alert, and all our teams are active.”

Ramban SSP Arun Gupta described the situation as “grim”, also adding, “We had to evacuate people from many places because the rivers are overflowing above the danger level. We have formed rescue teams at the police station and outpost levels. Our teams are ready with all the equipment.”

From neighbouring Doda, Additional Deputy Commissioner Anil Kumar Thakur reported severe damage, “We received reports till 3 am. After that, we have been facing network issues. Many roads have been lost… Many people have lost their homes. We received numerous distress calls today. We are trying to reach every house.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday afternoon, called the loss of lives at Vaishno Devi “saddening” and wished the injured a speedy recovery, assuring that the administration is providing all possible assistance.

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, early that day, said restoring essential services like electricity, water, and mobile connectivity remains the administration’s immediate focus. He further noted that that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates.