The government on Wednesday temporarily halted the Kinner Kailash pilgrimage, dedicated to Lord Shiva’s 79-foot vertical rock Shiva Lingam, after a pilgrim died and over 100 others were stranded near Gufa (last base camp).
The deceased has been identified as Sanjay (60), a resident of Muzaffarpur.
SP Kinnaur Shakshi Verma said that the stranded pilgrims were being shifted to a safer place and would reach the registration point by the evening.
The Indian Army has rescued as many as 100 persons from different locations en route to the Kinner Kailash, which is at a height of around 6,050 m above sea level.
Many pilgrims were stranded in the Ganesh Park area near Kinner Kailash.
Every year several pilgrims set out for the arduous trek to the Himalayas to have a view of the Mount Kailash, known as the winter abode of Lord Shiva.
Meanwhile, some houses and three shops were on Tuesday night washed away in Powari bazaar in Kinnaur district as heavy rains caused sudden rise in the water level of Satluj river leading to massive soil erosion.
A bridge near Ribba has been rendered unsafe due to soil erosion and heavy machinery has been deployed for restoration works and efforts are afoot to save it.
