Uttarakhand: Heavy snowfall in Kedarnath Dham, travel advisory issued for pilgrims

Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], May 8 : Amid heavy snowfall in Kedarnath Dham on Monday, the Rudraprayag district administration asked the pilgrims to undertake their journeys on Tuesday when the weather clears up.
According to an official release, in Kedarnath Dham, after 2 pm snowfall started and in the evening there was heavy snowfall.
Despite the snowing, the devotees queued up for darshan with umbrellas.

SP Rudraprayag Dr Vishakha Ashok has also appealed to the passengers to continue their journey by keeping the weather in mind for better safety.
"Pilgrims who will undertake the Kedarnath Dham Yatra to are requested to assess the weather and start their yatra only then," said SP Vishakha Ashok.
Besides Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh's Lahaul and Spiti also received heavy snowfall.
On Friday, the registration of pilgrims for the Kedarnath yatra was stopped till May 8, due to the possibility of bad weather in Kedarghati.
"Registration for the visit to Kedarnath Dham will be banned till May 8. There is a possibility of bad weather in Kedarghati for the next three to four days. In view of this, the government has taken this decision," stated an official release.
According to the records of the tourism department, 1.26 lakh pilgrims have already registered for the yatra on May 10. Till May 4, 1.23 lakh devotees had visited Kedarnath Dham.