Amarnath Yatra suspended after cloudburst; 10 dead, 40 feared missing
At least 10 people died and around 40 others were reported missing on Friday following a cloudburst near the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. The cloudburst reportedly struck near the base camp of the shrine in South Kashmir Himalayas at around 5:30 pm following heavy rains in the region. The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended temporarily after the incident. Here's more.
Rescue operations by national, state-level agencies on
The civil administration and police authorities have launched a rescue operation, while efforts by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and several other agencies are also underway. However, the gushing waters have been posing hurdles to the rescue operations in the area, said reports citing officials.
Visuals from rescue operations near Amarnath shrine
25 tents, 3 community kitchens washed away
According to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) officials, flashfloods descending from the mountains hit several tents and langars (community kitchens) near the holy Amarnath cave shrine on Friday evening. News agency ANI earlier reported that as many as 25 tents were washed away, while several reports claimed at least three langars got washed away in the heavy flow of water after the cloudburst.
Situation is under control, says ITBP spokesperson
Talking about the current situation in the region, a spokesperson for the ITBP earlier reportedly stated, "The situation is under control, rains are still going on." "Looking at the hazard level, the Amarnath Yatra has been halted temporarily due to the area being inundated. If the weather remains normal and makeshift arrangements are made, then the Yatra can be resumed tomorrow," they added.
Anguished by incident, all possible assistance being provided: PM Modi
PM Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday that he is "anguished" by the cloudburst near the Amarnath shrine. He also offered condolences to the bereaved families. He further said that he has spoken to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take stock of the situation in the region. "All possible assistance is being provided to the affected," the prime minister added.
Yatra briefly suspended earlier this week due to bad weather
To recall, the Amarnath Yatra was suspended for a brief period earlier this week owing to bad weather as well. The annual pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine commenced on June 30 this year after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Reportedly, more than 72,000 devotees have visited the shrine so far.
