A national highway in northern India’s Uttarakhand, which was closed due to consecutive landslides for commuters, was reopened bringing a sigh of relief.

The incident is of Badrinath National Highway in Chungidhar area of Joshimath of Chamoli district and it was reopened on July 11.

Visuals showed pilgrims navigating through debris, aided by the rescue team staff. The path was extremely rough, however the rescue teams ensured the pilgrims traveled with complete safety.

Speaking to Newslions, SDRF constable Vinit Vaibhav, from Uttarakhand, stated that the Badrinath National Highway reopened for pedestrians in the Chungidhar area of Joshimath on Thursday morning. Massive landslides over two consecutive days had stranded around 3,000 people, including pilgrims, in Badrinath and Joshimath. Due to the significant accumulation of debris, vehicular movement on the highway had been impossible for the past 58 hours.

According to officials, after working tirelessly for over 58 hours, BRO personnel helped more than 200 pilgrims safely cross the affected area on foot Thursday morning. Authorities are hopeful that vehicular traffic will resume later today, pending further clearance operations and favorable weather conditions. The passage through the landslide-prone zone is being closely monitored by the police and the SDRF to ensure traveler safety.