Srinagar: A 53-year-old woman Yatri was killed while two members of Mountain Rescue Team of J&K Police were grievously injured in a shooting stone incident between Sangam Top and Lower Cave in south Kashmir late last evening, officials said on Sunday.
Urmilaben Modi (53) died after she was hit by a shooting stone on the lower side of the cave shrine of Amarnath, the officials said.
Two mountain rescue team personnel — Mohammed Salem and Mohammed Yaseen, suffered grievous wounds while they were trying to rescue her. Another pilgrim also sustained injuries in the incident, they said.
The woman succumbed to her injuries before being shifted to hospital while the injured police personnel were evacuated by army and private helicopter on Yatra duty, they said.
DGP J&K Dilbag Singh has condoled the “unfortunate” death of the Yatri and has also expressed sympathy with the bereaved family.
“The DGP appreciated the commitment of two policemen and expressed his thanks to everyone involved in the quick evacuation. He wished early recovery to Jawans,” police spokesman said.
In another incident, Meghnath (65) of Chhattisgarh, was found unconscious at Pissutop along the Pahalgam route to the shrine on Sunday. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the officials said.
Meanwhile, eight CRPF personnel, on their way to perform Yatra, sustained injuries, five of them mild, when their vehicle skidded off road and fell into a ditch near one kilometer from Nilgrath area in Baltal in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir.
One among three seriously injured, Patil Bhattu, has been referred to SKIMS Soura, they said. Condition of the rest of the injured is stated to be stable, they said. The personnel had taken casual leave to perform Yatra, they added.
With two more deaths reported today, the toll in the ongoing Amarnath Yatra climbed to 27.
