Mussoorie, June 27 -- The Kedarnath yatra was halted in Rudraprayag district on Thursday due to massive landslides on the Sonprayag-Munkatiya-Gaurikund route triggered by incessant overnight rains, an official familiar with the matter said. Omkar Pandey, executive engineer PWD NH division, said that the road between Sonprayag-Munkatiya-Gaurikund was blocked at multiple locations due to massive landslides triggered by overnight rains that began around 5.30 am. "As a precautionary measure, the yatra was temporarily stopped. Pilgrims returning from Kedarnath who were stranded due to the blockade were evacuated by NDRF, SDRF, DDRF, and police teams using ropes and other equipment," he said. He further said that following the extensive road blockade, the Rudraprayag administration authorities swiftly evacuated 1,269 pilgrims who were returning from Kedarnath shrine. This included 833 men and 436 women, all of whom were safely brought to Sonprayag by 11 am. "Two JCB machines were deployed to clear the debris. After a challenging effort lasting over three hours, the road was cleared and reopened by 11 am. It was first opened for pilgrims on foot, and then for pilgrims traveling in vehicles all the way to Gaurikund," Pandey said. He added that in one or two locations, a stretch of road over 200 metre was impacted and it was initially difficult for JCB machines to operate due to the lack of a clear passage. "However, the teams successfully overcame these challenges, enabling the resumption of the yatra, and pilgrims are now able to proceed towards Kedarnath." Veereshwar Tomar, Rudraprayag district information officer, said that recognising the severity of the prevailing conditions, the district administration prioritised the safety of pilgrims and the yatra was temporarily halted at Sonprayag. Pandey further said the road has sustained damage at multiple locations, and the National Highway department is contemplating a long-term treatment plan to restore the affected areas. According to the road status report released by the PWD department, 107 roads were closed across the state due to landslides and boulder falls. Out of these, 47 roads were reopened, while 61 roads are yet to be cleared. In Chamoli district, 16 rural roads and one state highway were closed due to landslides and boulder falls until Thursday. Work is ongoing to reopen these roads using heavy machinery, as reported by Chamoli district emergency control centre. In Pithoragarh district, one border road, one National Highway, and nine rural roads were closed, with efforts underway to clear debris and restore traffic. In Rudraprayag district, three rural roads, and in Dehradun district, four rural roads were closed, with work to open them proceeding at full speed on Thursday. Meanwhile, the state recorded an average of 18.2 mm of rain in the past 24 hours until 8.30 am on Thursday. Specific district rainfall figures include 53.4 mm in Bageshwar district, 30 mm in Almora, 26.3 mm in Uttarkashi district, 23.5 mm in Chamoli district, 22.4 mm in Champawat district, 19.8 mm in Pithoragarh district, 17.9 mm in Dehradun district, and 16.1 mm in Rudraprayag district. The Dehradun centre of IMD Dehradun on Thursday issued an orange alert, forecasting heavy to very heavy rain likely to occur at isolated places in Bageshwar and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand on Friday, Saturday and Monday. An orange alert was issued for Bageshwar district on Sunday. It further stated that heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri, Champawat, and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand over the next four days. The state has witnessed significant rainfall across various districts in the past 24 hours, ending at 08:30 on Thursday. According to manual rainfall gauges, Banbasa, Loharkhet, and Bangapani were among the wettest locations, each receiving 81 mm, 78 mm, and 78 mm of rain, respectively. Other notable figures from manual stations included Kapkot (75 mm), Purola (68 mm), Sama (58 mm), Chakrata (57 mm), and Mori (50 mm). Dharchula recorded 49.0 mm, Ranikhet 44.0 mm, Someshwar 40.0 mm, and Chamoli 38.6 mm....