The landslide struck late Tuesday night between Sonprayag and Gaurikund, cutting off the main route to Kedarnath Temple and leaving thousands of pilgrims stranded amid continuous rain, darkness, and falling rocks.
Officials said the District Control Room in Rudraprayag alerted the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) at around 9:16 pm, following which rescue teams from Sonprayag rushed to the spot with emergency equipment.
The SDRF, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), launched a joint rescue operation and safely evacuated 10,450 pilgrims from the affected stretch.
Despite poor visibility and difficult mountainous terrain, rescue personnel guided pilgrims to safer areas and shifted them to designated shelters, officials said.
After the evacuation, authorities deployed JCB machines to clear debris from the blocked highway. The route was later restored and vehicular movement resumed.
SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi said teams stationed along the pilgrimage route were on high alert, which helped ensure a swift and coordinated response.
Officials added that stranded vehicles were also cleared from the area once the roadblock was removed.
