Overview

• A landslide triggered by persistent monsoon downpours struck the old Mata Vaishno Devi route near Gulshan Ka Langar in Katra on July 21, collapsing a tin shed and trapping devotees.
• Officials later confirmed one pilgrim died and ten others were injured, three of whom sustained critical wounds.
• Jammu and Kashmir Police, the State and National Disaster Response Forces, local volunteers, shrine board staff and the Indian Army’s White Knight Corps have led rescue and debris-clearing efforts.
• The Shrine Board has suspended the traditional Yatra track and is diverting pilgrims via a safe stretch of the Tarakot route to Ardhkuwari before they proceed along the Sanjhi Chhat path.
• An orange alert remains in effect for heavy to very heavy rainfall, with authorities warning of potential further landslides along Himalayan pilgrimage corridors.