Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, July 3: Tragedy struck Shri Amarnath Ji yatra today as three pilgrims were killed and four others injured, one of them seriously, due to landslide and shooting stones in between Rail Pathri and Brarimarg area, four kms from Baltal while two others died of cardiac arrest.
Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, Pyush Singla who is also the Yatra Officer confirmed the death of three pilgrims in the landslide and shooting stones that triggered at the Baltal Yatra track in between Railpathri and Brarimarg at 8.30 pm.
He said rescue operations have been started on war footing to evacuate the pilgrims trapped on the track and shift the injured to nearby hospital. He said the critically injured yatri has been shifted to SKIMS, Soura while three others have been shifted to nearby Hospital.
Among the three dead in the landslide, one pilgrim hailed from Bihar while the identity of others is being ascertained, a police officer on Yatra duty said.
Earlier during the day, two pilgrims died of cardiac arrest, while an injured yatri succumbed his injury taking the death toll to six. Panic gripped entire yatra area and the administration has been put on high alert. According to a police officer on yatra duty, three pilgrims, including two from Andhra Pradesh, died today en route to the holy cave due to various causes, taking the death toll in this year’s yatra to six.
Thota Radhnam, a 75-year-old woman from Fiwalayam in Andhra Pradesh, died of suspected cardiac arrest in a community kitchen at Baltal base camp this morning, the police official said.
Radha Krishna Sastry (65), hailing from Anantpora also in Andhra Pradesh, died due to cardiac arrest at Sangam near the holy cave, the official said.
He said the bodies of the deceased pilgrims have been kept at the Baltal base camp hospital for further legal proceedings.
A pilgrim, Pushkar Joshi, a resident of Uttarakhand, who was injured due to a shooting stone between Brarimarg and Railpathri yesterday, succumbed at a hospital here early today, the official said.
With these, the death toll in this year’s yatra has gone up to six including three pilgrims, one BSF Officer, one palanquin carrier and one yatra volunteer.
A flash flood hit a car parking area at Baltal base camp of the Amarnath Yatra today, but no casualties have been reported so far, the police said.
Braving the heavy downpour and inclement weather in holy cave area, 18,467 pilgrims performed darshan at cave shrine of Swami Amarnath situated at an altitude of 3880 metres in deep Himalays in South Kashmir district of Anantnag on 6th day of pilgrimage today.
This has taken the number of pilgrims visiting the holy cave during last six days since the yatra started on June 28 to 54,833.
The officer said a minor flash flood occurred at Baltal base camp in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district car parking area. Men & machinery were on job for dredging and creating additional flood channels. Camp area as well as yatris and other people deployed there are totally safe. Irrigation & Flood Control Department machinery has been put on alert. Small vehicles are being shifted to Truck Yard at Sonamarg,” the police officer said.
He said State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team is also at the spot along with police. The water has entered the car parking yard and also breached a portion of road, he added.
He said 4100 pilgrims left the Nunwan base camp while over 2000 left from lodges and hotels in Pahalgam for darshan of holy cave early this morning. These pilgrims with a night halt at transit camps of Chandanwari and Sheshnag will leave for their onwards sojourn tomorrow morning.
Besides, the pilgrims camping at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni also left for their onwards sojourn early this morning.
He said 2900 pilgrims reported at Nunwan base camp from Jammu by this evening while over 2000 pilgrims were stated to be camping in various hotels and lodges in Pahalgam and they all will leave for darshan tomorrow.
He said it was raining intermittently during the day in cave shrine area and at two base camps of Nunwan and Baltal. However, heavy showers of rain lashed the entire area during the evening resulting into flash flood in car parking area at Baltal and landslide on the holy cave track, he added.
He said 7871 pilgrims left the Baltal base camp for holy cave this morning by foot while 800 pilgrims left via chopper.
Another batch of 3459 pilgrims chanting Bum Bum Bholey left for holy cave from Bhagwati Nagar, Yatri Niwas, here under the tight security arrangements in a cavalcade of 114 vehicles early this morning. They included 2478 male, 774 female and 227 Sadhus.
According to Nodal Officer of Yatra, Arun Manhas, there are over 4500 pilgrims camping in Jammu. Out of them 2500 are in Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas while over 2000 are camping in various hotels and lodges in the winter capital.
He said yatra is proceeding smoothly and another batch will leave for holy cave from here early tomorrow morning.
Manhas said that yatris are in high spirits and thousands of pilgrims are daily reaching here from other States through rail and road transport. Elaborate arrangements have been made for yatris at different places in Jammu as well as Kathua, Samba, Udhampur and Ramban districts by the Government.
Meanwhile, the district administration Kathua has established a free refreshment centre at ISBT site on National Highway, Kathua for Amarnath pilgrims. The refreshment centre was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, Rohit Khajuria who was accompanied by ACR Jatinder Mishra.
He said that all arrangements have been made for pilgrims by the district administration. Besides security, the lodging and boarding arrangements have also been made by the administration for them.
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