16,000 more pilgrims visit Shrine; total crosses 2.73 lakh
Srinagar, Jul 18: The annual Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday after remaining suspended for a day due to bad weather, while over 16,000 pilgrims had darshan at the holy cave today, officials said.
An official informed that the Yatra had been halted on Thursday following relentless rains, which triggered landslides along the routes, posing a threat to the safety of pilgrims. However, with improved weather conditions, authorities gave the green light for pilgrims to proceed.
Amid religious fervour and passion, 16,858 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine on Friday, he said.
The pilgrims who paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine included 11,357 males, 4,816 females, 220 children, 125 sadhus, 18 sadhvis, and 322 security personnel. The cumulative number of pilgrims who have performed darshan so far has reached 2,73,091.
The official said the 16th batch comprising 7,908 pilgrims left from the Jammu base camp early on Friday morning under tight security.
The convoy departed in 261 vehicles, with 92 on the Baltal route and 169 on the Pahalgam axis. The batch comprised 5,957 males, 1,613 females, 26 children, 290 sadhus, and 22 sadhvis.
The pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the south Kashmir Himalayas commenced on July 3 and will conclude on August 9—(KNO)
8 pilgrims injured in road mishap
Jammu, Jul 18: Eight pilgrims were injured when a truck hit a car in the Amarnath convoy in Udhampur district on Friday, officials said.
The accident occurred at 6:13 am when a speeding truck broke through a barricade at Battal Ballian area and hit the car ferrying eight pilgrims to the Pahalgam base camp, a security force officer said.
He said CISF personnel were deployed at the barricade when the truck, after hitting the car, jumped the divider and crashed into the wall of a house.
The car was part of the 16th batch of over 7,900 pilgrims, who left Jammu for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal early this morning.
He said that the CRPF shifted them to hospital and their condition is stable. The other three sustained superficial injuries.
Police have registered a case and further investigation is going on. The vehicle has been seized.
