Gzb families anxiously await return of four friends missing in Kedar Valley landslides
The families said only Krishna Patel was married. Shukla’s family said he was pursuing BCA from a college in Indirapuram while Patel has a job in a private company
Archana Enclave in Ghaziabad’s Khoda wore an air expectancy and hope on Friday as four families anxiously awaited the return of four friends who went missing in Kedar Valley in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand on July 31, following a series of landslides.
The police in Sonprayag said the route from Sonprayag to the Kedarnath shrine was destroyed in five places in the massive landslides that took place on the night of July 31 and rescue efforts are still going on.
On July 29, five friends -- Sumit Shukla, 21, Krishna Patel, 30, Mannu Kumar, 22, Chirag Kumar, 21, and Sachin Kumar, 22 -- reached Haridwar to fetch Ganga water as part of the annual Kanwar Yatra.
“They had gone to fetch Ganga water from Haridwar in Krishna Patel’s car. However, they changed their plans midway and on the night of July 31, Sumit called to tell me that they were at Sonprayag on their way to Kedarnath to offer Ganga water at the Shiva shrine. He told me that they were just 7km from Kedarnath. He said he will call again and ended the call. I’m still waiting for that call,” said Savita Devi, Sumit Shukla’s mother.
The families said only Krishna Patel was married. Shukla’s family said he was pursuing BCA from a college in Indirapuram while Patel has a job in a private company.
“Around 9.30am on August 1, Sachin called up his family and they later called my other son. Sachin told his family that all four of his friends went missing in landslides that rocked the hill shrine on July 31 and he was the only one from the group to be rescued by locals. All four families are in a state of shock and we have sent our men to Kedarnath to look for our sons,” Savita said.
Kedarnath shrine is about 235km from Haridwar by road. Sonprayag is the last point till where private vehicles can go. Thereafter, to reach Gaurikund, which is about 5km ahead, visitors have to travel in government-hired Bolero SUVs. From Gaurikund, they have to trek the last 20km to the shrine.
Although tourists avoid the Kedar Valley during the monsoon, given that it is prone to landslides and flooding, devotees still trek to Kedarnath during the annual Kanwar Yatra to offer Ganga water to the Shiva shrine.
Sonprayag police said two roads and three non-metalled roads between Sonprayag and Kedarnath were completely damaged in the landslides.
“The heavy rainfall on the night of July 31 triggered landslides. There were about 6,000 people trapped (between Sonprayag and Kedarnath) and rescuers have evacuated about 4,000. Rescue efforts are still on to retrieve the others. We suspect that many of those stranded have moved to different locations in the valley,” said Devendra Aswal, station house officer, Sonprayag, Uttarakhand.
The SHO said the family members of four missing men from Ghaziabad met them on Friday.
“We have asked them to wait for one more day as our rescue effort is still on. If by another day we do not find them, we may consider the worst,” the SHO said.