At least 13 Amarnath pilgrims died and more than three dozen are missing on Friday after a cloudburst at Baltal in Ganderbal which houses the base camp for the annual pilgrimage.
The bodies of the pilgrims who died have been recovered by the NDRF.
The cloudburst happened at 5.30 pm and caused flash floods. According to reports, five yatris have been rescued while 40 others are missing. The floods swept away tents and langers set up for the yatris.
The NDRF, police and SDRF are carrying out the rescue operations and providing relief to the pilgrims.
Earlier, J&K Police, in a tweet, said, “Some langars and tents have come under cloudburst/flash floods at Holy Cave. 02 deaths reported. Rescue operation by Police, NDRF & SFs in progress. Injured being airlifted for treatment. Situation under control.”
Baltal is located around 80km from Srinagar. The yatra started on June 30 and will continue for 43 days.
In the last two years, the annual pilgrimage was disallowed due to the Covid pandemic. This year a record eight lakh yatris are expected to take part in the pilgrimage.
The devotees come from all over India to pay obeisance at the holy cave located 45km in from Pahalgam in Anantnag in south Kashmir. It takes a few days of trekking for the yatris to reach the cave from Pahalgam where the ice stalagmite resembles the Shiva Linga, which waxes from May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival. The cave is considered an abode of Lord Shiva by Hindus.
Many pilgrims prefer to take the shorter and less arduous route from Baltal to reach the cave.
The cave was discovered by a Muslim shepherd of Butta Malik in 1850 when he was grazing the cattle. Since then the cave has attained the status of a holy pilgrimage, attracting thousands of devotees every year.
The officials said the rescue operations by NDRF, SDRF, J&KP & other teams are underway.
The focus is on shifting the injured to the base camp hospitals. Choppers have been pressed into action for rescue operations. The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board has provided helpline numbers for information. Army is also helping in the rescue and relief operations.
