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More than 5,000 pilgrims stranded after landslides hit the Manimahesh Yatra in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
Seven dead, nine missing in the past week; toll expected to rise as roads reopen
320 lives lost this monsoon in Himachal, with Rs 3,040 crore in damages already reported
Apple harvest and local trade threatened as supply chains collapse in Kullu and Mandi
Fresh orange and yellow alerts issued as heavy rain forecast until September 2
Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh has been reeling under disaster, with torrential rain and landslides throwing life into disarray. The worst affected has been the Manimahesh Yatra, a major pilgrimage that attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees each year.
More than 5,000 devotees are stranded at different points along the yatra route as landslides and flash floods have washed away long stretches of road. The administration confirmed seven deaths, eight injuries and nine people missing in the past week, warning that the toll could rise once roads reopen and communication links are fully restored.
In view of the situation, the administration has indefinitely suspended the yatra and issued strict orders to pilgrims not to proceed further.
The main road connecting Chamba to Bharmour has been destroyed in several places, with hundreds of metres of road swept away, halting traffic completely. Stranded pilgrims face shortages of food and shelter. Local communities are offering help from their own rations and several langars set up along the yatra route continue to provide meals, but the scale of need is overwhelming.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Chamba received 1,779 per cent more rainfall than average on 25 August alone. Between August 22 and 29, the district recorded 277 mm of rain — 467 per cent above normal for that period.
With communication networks disrupted, relief and rescue efforts have been slow. As services are gradually restored, lists of the stranded are being compiled, though thousands of families still have no information about their relatives.
Chamba ADM Amit Mehra confirmed that the yatra has been “completely cancelled”. Most pilgrims are now concentrated around Bharmour, with some trekking back towards Chamba. Where roads remain open, the administration is providing transport. Repair of damaged routes is under way on a “war footing”.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu reviewed the situation and deputed revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi to Chamba. He directed officials to ensure food, shelter and healthcare for those stranded and said airlifting options were being explored.
Other districts have also been badly hit. In Lahaul-Spiti, about 400 tourists are stranded in Sissu after flooding damaged the road between Sissu and the Atal Tunnel, trapping nearly 300 vehicles. Deputy commissioner Kiran Badhana said evacuations through alternative routes were planned, with hopes of clearing the tourists by Friday. The Atal Tunnel itself, along with the Solang Nala stretch, is blocked, forcing traffic through the old Rohtang Pass, though conditions there remain precarious.
In Kullu, landslides have brought down houses and blocked roads. On Friday, two women were killed when their homes collapsed in Ani. The administration said about 40 villages remain under threat of subsidence.
The Kullu–Mandi four-lane highway has suffered extensive damage, partially reopened with restricted timings. Hundreds of trucks carrying apples and vegetables are stranded, putting harvests at risk of rotting, a blow to local farmers and traders.
Mandi district is also cut off, with vehicles headed for Lahaul and Leh stuck for several days.
Himachal Pradesh has received 32 per cent above-average rainfall this monsoon. Chamba recorded 26 per cent above normal, Kullu 78 per cent and Mandi 64 per cent.
So far, at least 320 lives have been lost this season, with the state suffering Rs 3,040 crore in damages, according to official figures. The Vidhan Sabha, or the state legislative assembly that is currently in session, has passed a resolution urging the Centre to declare the disaster a “national calamity”.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued fresh alerts. From August 29 to September 2, heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecast across the state, with an orange alert in Chamba, Kullu and Kangra on August 30 and yellow alerts in other districts. Relief work, officials fear, could be hampered by continued downpours and fresh landslides.
Experts have long warned that Himachal’s fragile geomorphology, compounded by unregulated construction on mountain slopes, unscientific development and swelling tourist inflows, increases the risk of disasters. Climate change, they add, has made rainfall more erratic and concentrated, triggering more frequent extreme events.
Mass pilgrimages such as the Manimahesh Yatra, drawing lakhs of devotees into remote high-altitude terrain, are particularly vulnerable.
While rescue operations continue, the crisis raises urgent questions over disaster preparedness for religious and tourist gatherings in ecologically sensitive regions. Local communities are playing a vital role in relief, but the need for stronger, pre-planned mechanisms to handle such emergencies has become starkly evident.