Around 25,000 Sikh pilgrims are still stuck in Govindghat, Govind Dham and Joshimath gurdwaras in Uttarakhand, but are safe. The Punjab Government has evacuated 800 pilgrims from Hemkund Sahib till Thursday.
“The sevedars of Gobindghat gurdwara have so far managed to rescue and send approximately 12,000 pilgrims to safer places,” said Hemkund Sahib Trust president Madan Singh.
“Around 10,000 pilgrims are safe in the gurdwara and AMC hall,” said Joshimath gurdwara manager Davinder Singh. Around 3,000 pilgrims in Gobind Dham gurdwara have been airlifted.
Vikram Singh of Mohali, who had gone to Hemkund Sahib with his wife and two children, said the trip was a shocking experience.
“Our taxi was stuck. On one side, there was landside and on the other, the bridge was falling apart. We climbed a mountain and took refuge in a house for two days,” he said.
Sahil Sharma of Manimajra, who was in Hemkund, said: “There was nothing to eat as all shops were shut. We spent two nights in our car and saw the rocks and boulders tumbling down the mountain all the while.”