At least 30 persons died after heavy rainfall triggered a landslide near the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Katra, ANI quoted Reasi Senior Superintendent of Police Paramvir Singh as saying on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that the Jammu region, where the shrine is located, was facing a widespread thunderstorm. The weather agency said that residents should stay indoors, avoid low-lying and waterlogged areas, and follow advisories issued by the administration for their safety.

On Tuesday, officials said that five persons had died and several were injured in the landslide on the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hill. Several persons were also feared trapped under the rubble, officials had said at the time.

The pilgrimage to the shrine was suspended after the landslide that occurred at around 3 pm on Tuesday, PTI reported.

Besides Jammu and Kashmir, heavy rainfall and flooding was recorded in several areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha. Incessant rains also led to flooding in Punjab and a landslide in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said it had set up helplines. The board urged devotees to reschedule their pilgrimage to the shrine in view of the incessant rainfall.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the loss of lives was saddening.

“The administration is assisting all those affected,” he said on social media.

View: In photos: Heavy rains, floods batter northern India, rivers cross danger mark

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