Over 7,100 pilgrims leave for Amarnath cave shrine from base camp

Srinagar: Amarnath Yatra, which was resumed on Monday after a two-day suspension following flash flood near the cave shrine, continued on Tuesday as another batch of 7,107 pilgrims moved from Jammu base camp towards the Valley.

Flash flood near the cave shrine on Friday killed 16 people and injured 37 while 15,000 were rescued.

Reports that 40 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh are missing have been denied by the Andhra Pradesh government saying that only two pilgrims from that state are still missing while all others are safe.

Officials said Yatra was resumed on Monday from Pahalgam base camp while it was not resumed from Baltal base camp because the 14 km long north Kashmir trek is damaged at three places.

"Helicopter services for the Yatris continued from both the base camps to the cave shrine," officials said.

Another batch of 7,107 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in two escorted convoys for the Valley on Tuesday.

"Of these, 5,158 are going to Pahalgam while 1949 are going to Baltal," officials said.

Over 1,20,000 pilgrims have so far had Darshan inside the holy cave shrine.

The 43-day long Amarnath Yatra 2022 started on June 30 and will end on August 11 on Shravan Purnima coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.