The group, having safely visited the sacred Kedarnath Dham, was en route to Rishikesh after paying homage at Badrinath. They had hired a traveler vehicle from Delhi for their journey, blissfully unaware of the danger ahead. While navigating the narrow roads of Shyamli district, the women were warned of a landslide that had blocked the Karnaprayag route, forcing their driver, Gopal Sharma, to take an alternative path through Seikot village.