NEW DELHI, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and three others injured after a massive landslide hit the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said Tuesday.

The landslide was triggered on Monday evening following torrential rains on the Kedarnath Dham road in Sonprayag area of Rudraprayag district, about 243 km northeast of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand.

"So far rescuers have retrieved five bodies from the spot and rescued three in injured condition," a senior local government official Shyam Singh Rana said. "The passengers traveling on the Kedarnath route have been requested to avoid the road after the evening during the inclement weather."

Rescue operations in the area were suspended Monday night in the wake of bad weather and the drifting of boulders from the hillside. However, it resumed Tuesday morning.

According to officials, the rescuers are facing challenges due to continuous rockfall. Authorities fear there could be more bodies underneath the debris.

Rains in the upper parts of Uttarakhand often trigger massive landslides during the winter and monsoon season. Enditem

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