Rescuers on Saturday pulled out two more bodies from the debris of the landslide which swept away three shops in Gaurikund on the way to Kedarnath on August 4, an official said.

The death toll in the tragedy has risen to seven while 16 people are still missing, Rudraprayag Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said.

The bodies were identified as 25-year-old woman Anita Bohra and eight-year-old boy Jatil, the official said.

The search operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Yatra Management Force continues for the ninth day, he said.

Intermittent rain and falling boulders from hillsides continue to hamper the rescue efforts, he added.

The landslide washed away the shops near Daat Puliya close to a rain-fed waterfall and around 50 metres above the Mandakini river, which was in spate.

The nearly six-kilometre stretch between Sonprayag and Gaurikund is highly vulnerable to landslides.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had earlier instructed officials to speed up the relief and rescue work at the spot.

Asserting that an alert should be issued at all places where there is a threat of flood due to an increase in the water levels of the rivers and streams, Dhami directed the officials to evacuate the people living in landslide-prone areas.