Kedarnath yatra suspended after falling boulders kill 65-year-old man near Cheerbasa helipad

A 65-year-old man was killed on Sunday after being struck by boulders rolling down a hill near the Cheerbasa helipad on the Kedarnath route, officials said, as rain and landslides forced authorities to suspend the pilgrimage temporarily.

The victim was identified as Madan Mohan Tiwari, a resident of Ukhimath. According to the State Emergency Operation Centre, he was hit by the falling boulders and died on the spot.

Police said the Kedarnath pilgrimage route has been blocked by debris amid continuing rain in the area, and that movement along the trail is not safe at present.

Officials said pilgrims travelling towards Kedarnath have been advised to halt at Sonprayag and Gaurikund, while those returning from the shrine have been asked to stop at Jangalchatti. Authorities have requested all pilgrims not to proceed further along the route until the trail is cleared and official permission is granted.

Pilgrim movement will resume only after weather conditions normalise and the route is cleared for safe passage, officials said. No timeline has been given for the resumption of the yatra.

The Kedarnath temple, one of the four sites of the Char Dham pilgrimage, is located in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district and is reached on foot from Gaurikund after a road journey. The annual yatra is undertaken by lakhs of pilgrims, and the route passes through steep, landslide-prone Himalayan terrain where heavy monsoon rain frequently triggers rockfalls and debris slides.

Authorities in the state routinely monitor weather warnings during the pilgrimage season and halt movement when conditions are assessed as unsafe. District administration and disaster response teams remain deployed along the route during the yatra period.

Pilgrims already on the route have been asked to follow instructions issued by local police and district officials, and to remain at the designated halt points rather than attempt to continue on their own. Officials said updates on the reopening of the route will be issued once conditions improve and clearance work is completed.

The death is the latest in a series of rain-related incidents affecting travel in the region this season. Officials have reiterated that safety assessments, and not fixed schedules, will determine when the yatra resumes.