Uttarakhand: Avalanche Strikes Kanchan Ganga Area Near Badrinath, No Loss Of Life

(MENAFN- Live Mint) An avalanche from the Kuber Bhandar peak near Badrinath in Chamoli district hit the upper catchment area of Kanchan Ganga on Sunday morning, according to officials, PTI reported.

The incident, located about two kilometres ahead of the Badrinath shrine, caused no loss of life or property damage, they said.

Watch the video here:

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The officials said the avalanche did not cause any disruption at the Badrinath National Highway and termed such incidents around snow-covered peaks as "common natural occurrences".

"This is a natural process and such events occur from time to time," Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said.

He said the avalanche did not reach the main road, as the snow mass had stopped within a valley area, adding that traffic and daily life in the region remain completely unaffected.

The district magistrate urged the public to ignore rumours circulating on social media and other platforms, while advising citizens to rely solely on official information issued by the administration.

"The district administration is continuously monitoring the area," Kumar said.

Char Dham Yatra

This comes amid the Char Dham Yatra, commenced on April 19, and by May 13, more than 1.26 million devotees had already visited the four shrines. Of these, 523,582 pilgrims visited Kedarnath Temple, 324,081 visited Badrinath Temple, 205,425 visited Gangotri Temple, and 207,390 pilgrims paid obeisance at Yamunotri Temple.

Earlier on May 13, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the safety and convenience of Char Dham pilgrims remain the government's top priority. To ensure smooth darshan for devotees, the slot management and crowd control systems have been further strengthened, while real-time digital monitoring is also being effectively utilised.

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Till May 14, at least 38 pilgrims have died due to health-related causes during the first 26 days of the ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand.

The pilgrimage began on April 19 with the opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines. The temples of Kedarnath and Badrinath were opened to devotees on April 22 and April 23, respectively.

According to official figures from the last four years (2022-2025), a total of 6.945 million pilgrims have undertaken the Kedarnath Yatra. Of these, 1,564,248 pilgrims visited in 2022, 1,958,863 in 2023, 1,653,581 in 2024, and 1,768,795 devotees in 2025, the release stated.

(With inputs from agencies)

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