About 1,500 pilgrims escorted past a landslide at Chirbasa on the Kedarnath trek route
2 October 2026
Joint teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) rescued and escorted approximately 1,500 pilgrims to Gaurikund on 28 September 2026.
The pilgrims were held up at Chirbasa, about 3 km from Gaurikund on the Kedarnath trek route, where debris from a landslide had blocked the path.
Continuous rockfalls from the hillside made movement across the stretch hazardous, so the teams guided the pilgrims across the slide zone on foot.
The SDRF team was led by Sub-Inspector Ashish Dimri from Sonprayag.
The Char Dham Yatra had been suspended for two consecutive days because of heavy rainfall when the rescue was carried out.
In plain words
SDRF State Disaster Response Force — A state-level rescue force; Uttarakhand's SDRF is drawn from the state police and posted along the pilgrim routes.
NDRF National Disaster Response Force — The Union government's specialist disaster response force, raised under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.