An avalanche stops short of the Kedarnath shrine, sending people into panic

The avalanche continued for a long time. However, avalanches happen often on this mountain and are not rare.

On Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Kedarnath dham in Rudraprayag region, people are offering prayers while snow falls down a cliff during an avalanche caused by a broken glacier.

Early on Sunday morning, a huge avalanche struck the Gandhi Sarovar, which is four kilometers above Kedarnath Dham. The avalanche near the Chorabari glacier, which happened at approximately five in the morning, was photographed by devotees who visited the temple this morning using their cellphones. Though avalanches can periodically occur on this snowy summit, no damage of any type seems to have resulted from this one, based on the information that is currently available.

From an environmental standpoint, environmentalists are concerned about this avalanche catastrophe because of the Himalayas' delicate ecology.

According to information provided by Sector Officer Kedarnath, the District Disaster Management Officer of Rudraprayag, Nandan Rajwar, gave this daily: "On Sunday morning, at approximately 5:03 am, an avalanche occurred near Gandhi Sarovar on the mountain behind the Kedarnath shrine." Although this avalanche occurred around five kilometers from the temple to the top of Sumeru mountain near Gandhi Sarovar, a good deal of snow fell from the mountain.

According to reports from the Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Office, there was a disturbance in Kedarnath as snow started to cascade down the mountain after the avalanche occurrence. The avalanche continued for a long time. However, avalanches happen often on this mountain and are not rare.

Environmentalist Jagat Singh Jungli, in an interview with the newspaper, voiced his profound sorrow over the tragedy and emphasized the significance of addressing the unfolding events in the Himalayan area. He emphasized that regular helicopter flights over the neighborhood and building activities are the primary causes of these accidents. Jungli emphasized that immediate action must be taken to protect the Himalayan area before irreparable harm is done.

"Helicopter flights produce significant damage to glaciers, along with such incidents are on the rise in the Himalayan region," Jungli told this publication, citing scientific evidence. Although it is fortunate that no one was harmed or lost anything, the plant riches of this area is being destroyed by the corporations using helicopters and the heli-fuel emissions.