Landslide strands about 13,000 Indian pilgrims

LUCKNOW, India – A landslide stranded about 13,000 Indian pilgrims near a revered Hindu temple site in northern India on Friday, but caused no casualties, an official said.

A spokesman for the Uttarakhand state government, Amit Chandola, said pre-monsoon rains in the mountainous area triggered a landslide of mud and boulders that blocked roads leading to the Badrinath temple.

Chandola said state authorities rushed food and water to the stranded pilgrims and hope to clear the debris and restore movement of vehicles this weekend.

Massive monsoon floods and landslides in Uttarakhand state killed more than 1,000 people and flattened thousands of buildings in 2013.