About 54 pilgrims, hailing from Nellore district, were stranded while on their way to Yamunotri in Uttarakhand. They were given shelter at a school on the outskirts of Doonda village, 25 km from Yamunotri.

Nellore District Collector B. Sridhar said efforts were on to ensure their safe return, with the Army beginning relief operations to clear landslips on the ghat roads. Immediate rescue works were hampered by incessant rain and it might take four to five days for the stranded pilgrims to return home, Sridhar said. The pilgrims belong to Buchireddypalem, Kovur, Gandavaram and Tatakula Dinne villages.

B. Subba Rao, a retired principal of GVRR College, who belongs to Buchireddypalem, said that their condition was still uncertain as the Uttarakhand helplines were not responding to their calls. He told the mediapersons over phone that they had reserved tickets to board the GT Express in Delhi on Tuesday to return home and there was no chance of cancelling the tickets. As regards the arrangements for the pilgrims’ return journey, the AP Bhavan authorities in Delhi will take the initiative. The Nellore district administration opened helplines to provide information on status of the pilgrims. They are 0861-2331477 and 2331261.

The officials said that the relatives of the pilgrims need not worry as there was no danger to the lives of the pilgrims. Officials said there were two more groups of 24 and 6 pilgrims from Nellore and they were safely lodged in a hotel.