At least 32 people, mostly Hindu pilgrims on their way to a famed mountainous temple, were killed and 20 sustained injuries following a massive landslide triggered by four days of torrential rain in India’s northern Jammu-Kashmir region. Government officials warned the death toll may rise as many, mostly Hindu pilgrims to Mata Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu, are feared to be trapped under the debris. The disaster site was located near Ardhkunwari, a midway cave temple situated on the steep climb to the Vaishno Devi shrine, one of the holiest destinations for Hindus in India. The landslide struck near a restaurant, along the mountain path carved into the Trikuta Hills in Jammu. Authorities immediately suspended the pilgrimage and rushed army units, disaster response teams and local officials to the site. Continuous rainfall and the unstable slopes of the mountains, however, have slowed the rescue effort. Millions of pilgrims trek to the Vaishno Devi shrine annually, walking 12 kilometers uphill, and the route is usually thronged with devotees chanting hymns and carrying offerings. The pilgrimage route is now full of heavy machinery and soldiers frantically searching for survivors.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
