A flash flood triggered by a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir swept away scores of people, killing at least 16 and swamping tents and community kitchens with mud and rocks hurtling down a hillside.
An official of the union territory administration said the Amarnath yatra, which began on June 30, has been suspended following the tragedy and a decision on its resumption will be taken after rescue operations get over. The yatra was scheduled to end on August 11.
An official on the ground said about 40 people are missing while 65 have been injured. As per reports, over 65,000 pilgrims have performed Amarnath Yatra this year. However, the authorities have temporarily suspended the yatra from both Baltal and Pahalgam base camps.
Rescue On
The Indian Army’s Northern Command said that six rescue teams, including choppers, have been deployed in the evacuation process. Meanwhile the Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the J&K police too are assisting in the rescue efforts.
All the injured are being taken care of at three base hospitals: Upper Holy Cave, Lower Holy Cave, Panjtarni and other facilities.
15,000 Evacuated
Recently, the tenth batch of over 6,100 Amarnath pilgrims had left from Jammu on Friday for the twin base camps of 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas. A total of 6,159 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas here in a convoy of 249 vehicles amid heavy security of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.
Around 15,000 pilgrims were stranded near the Amarnath holy cave after the flash flood and have been shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni, an ITBP spokesperson said. another 150 yatris had stayed at the BSF camp created in Panjtarni on Friday night.
The Yatra started from June 29, when the first group of devotees setting off on the yatra amid high security. Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chand had said that around 6-8 lakh pilgrims would be visiting the shrine this year which is twice the size than ever before.
Tight Security Measures in Place
The government has deployed 3-4 times the usual strength of security personnel around the yatra in the light of a greater potential threat from militants this year. Moreover, Radio Frequency Identification tags and drone surveillance are also being used to ensure the pilgrims’ security.
Two routes to Amarnath
The Amarnath cave is situated around 3,900 metres above the sea level and can only be reached on foot or by pony. It is located deep inside the Himalayas and can be accessed through the Qazigund-Anantnag-Pahalgam axis and the Qazigund-Anantnag-Pulwama-Srinagar-Bandipore-Ganderbal-Sonamarg-Baltal axis.
Though there are two routes to the cave, most people take the Baltal route, a shorter 16 km trek from Baltal to the shrine along a steep, winding mountain trail and takes 1-2 days to reach.
The second route is the Pahalgam route, which is approximately 36-48 km from the cave and takes 3-5 days to cover. Though it is a longer journey, it is a littler easier and has less steep.
Helpline Numbers
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had set up a helpline for the Amarnath Yatra. The Lt Governor administration and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) gave out four telephone numbers where people can get information about the cloudburst.
“Helpline numbers for Amarnath Yatra: NDRF: 011-23438252 011-23438253 Kashmir Divisional Helpline: 0194-2496240 Shrine Board Helpline: 0194-2313149,” the public relations department of the government and the SASB tweeted from their respective handles. “Focus of administration is on rescue operation with NDRF, SDRF, JKP and other teams in action,” the administration added.
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