By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
More than 6,500 pilgrims were safely evacuated from the landslide-hit Chirwasa area on the Kedarnath trek route in Uttarakhand even as the pilgrimage remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Monday.
The evacuation operation was launched after the route near the Chirwasa helipad was partially damaged by the landslide, leaving a large number of pilgrims stranded. Around 600-700 horses and mules were also safely moved through the route during the operation.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the local administration coordinated the rescue and evacuation efforts in one of the biggest operations this season.
Following directions from SDRF Commandant Arpan Yaduvanshi, an SDRF team from Sonprayag post reached the spot immediately after receiving information about the damaged route.
SDRF personnel helped pilgrims cross the vulnerable stretch one by one despite difficult and hazardous conditions, ensuring their safe movement. The operation was continuing to facilitate the movement of pilgrims and livestock through the affected area.
The evacuation came a day after a pilgrim was killed after being struck by falling boulders on the Chirwasa stretch of the Kedarnath trek route. The deceased was identified as 65-year-old Madan Mohan, a resident of Ukhimath in Rudraprayag district.
Police said debris and boulders had been continuously falling along the trek route following rainfall. In view of the danger to pilgrims, authorities suspended the Kedarnath pilgrimage on the trekking route and appealed to devotees not to proceed further until the affected stretch was cleared and declared safe.
The Kedarnath shrine, one of the four major pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham circuit, witnesses thousands of pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage season.
The authorities are continuously keeping a watch on the falling debris and boulders at Chirwasa area.