A massive landslide along the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district claimed the lives of at least 34 devotees on Tuesday. Among the victims, 11 were reported to be from Uttar Pradesh.
On Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families and directed officials to extend all necessary assistance. An official statement confirmed that the Uttar Pradesh government will provide financial support of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of those from the state who lost their lives. The CM also instructed authorities to ensure the bodies of the victims are brought back to their hometowns without delay.
Preliminary reports identified some of the deceased from UP. They include three from Agra—Bhawna (12), Sunita (35), and Sejal (2); three from Muzaffarnagar—Kartik (22), Anant (6), and Deepesh Kumar; Chandni (30) from Lucknow/Ghaziabad; and Neera (35) from Bareilly/Meerut. Details of three others—Mamta Devi (45), Ram Viri, and Anjali (25)—are yet to be fully confirmed. Seven injured pilgrims from the state were also named, including Sangita, Umang, Kamlesh, Vaishnavi, Purvi, Goran, and Mayank.
Leaders Express Grief
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi both expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy. In a post on X, the Prime Minister described the incident as “saddening” and wished a quick recovery for the injured, assuring that the administration is extending full support. President Murmu termed the loss of lives “extremely distressing” and prayed for successful rescue and relief operations.
Relief Announced by J&K Government
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has announced compensation of ₹6 lakh for the families of each deceased victim, with ₹4 lakh coming from the State Disaster Response Fund and ₹2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Severely injured persons will receive ₹1 lakh, while those with minor injuries will be provided ₹50,000.
Additionally, ₹10 crore has been released in advance to district administrations to ensure timely relief, rehabilitation, and restoration measures.
