Dehradun, June 29 -- The Char Dham Yatra has been suspended for the next 24 hours following a heavy rain alert, officials said on Sunday.

While speaking to ANI, Garhwal Division Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that the pilgrimage had been halted temporarily as a precautionary measure. "I have given instructions to the police and administration officials to stop the pilgrims in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Sonprayag and Vikasnagar," Pandey told.

The suspension followed a cloudburst that hit Silai Band on the Barkot-Yamunotri road in Uttarkashi district, leaving as many as nine workers missing at an under-construction hotel site.

Meanwhile, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed that the cloudburst i...