Amarnath yatra floods live | ITBP says 15,000 stranded pilgrims evacuated

The cloudburst that occurred around 5.30 pm on Friday dumped copious rain and thick streams of sludge rolled down the mountain slopes into the valley. The gushing waters hit the base camp outside the shrine in south Kashmir, damaging 25 tents and three community kitchens where the pilgrims are served food, according to officials

At least 13 people, mainly Amarnath pilgrims, have died and dozens went missing after flash floods caused landslips near the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal area on Friday.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday set up a helpline for the Amarnath Yatra, which has been suspended after a cloudburst near the holy cave left 10 persons dead and scores of others missing.

Many political leaders across the spectrum have expressed distress about the cloudburst near the Amarnath shrine.

Amid tight security, the tenth batch of over 6,100 Amarnath pilgrims left from here on Friday for the twin base camps of 3,880-metre-high cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

Here are the latest updates

At least 15,000 pilgrims, who were stranded near the Amarnath holy cave in Jammu and Kashmir due to a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst, have been shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni, an ITBP spokesperson said on Saturday.

The border guarding force has also expanded its route opening and protection parties from the lower part of the holy cave up to Panjtarni, he said.