Srinagar: The annual Amarnath Yatra crossed the two-lakh mark on Friday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha informed.
He said that with the pilgrimage running smoothly on both routes, the spiritual celebration is set to welcome a steady arrival of devotees in the coming weeks.
“In a remarkable testament to faith, the holy Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra has crossed the 2 lakh pilgrim mark in just 8 days,” Sinha said in a post on X. “Har Har Mahadev!” he added.
Meanwhile, a ninth batch of 8,796 pilgrims, including 33 foreigners, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp here on Wednesday for the annual Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir amid multi-tier security, officials said.
More than 1.73 lakh pilgrims have had ‘darshan’ of the naturally formed ice ‘lingam’ of Lord Shiva at the 3,880-metre high cave shrine since the Yatra commenced on July 2, they said.
On Friday, 8796 pilgrims left the base camp here in 354 vehicles, including 6,046 men, 2,042 women, 228 sadhus, 56 sadhvis, 10 children, one transperson, and 33 foreigners.
According to the officials, the convoy departed in two separate groups. The Baltal axis convoy carrying 3,450 pilgrims left at 3:35 am, while the Pahalgam axis convoy with 5,346 pilgrims departed at 4 am amid chants of ‘Bam Bam Bhole’, ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Jai Barfani Baba Ki’.
With Friday’s departures, a total of 61,612 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for Kashmir since the Yatra commenced on July 2.
The 57-day Amarnath Yatra will conclude on August 28.
Six injured as vehicle carrying pilgrims overturns in Udhampur
Four pilgrims injured in Banihal, LG takes prompt cognizance
Six Amarnath pilgrims were injured, one of them critically, when a vehicle carrying them overturned on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in Udhampur district on Friday, officials said.
The accident took place near Toldi Nallah on the Udhampur-Chenani stretch of the highway when the vehicle carrying the pilgrims to the Pahalgam base camp skidded off the road and overturned, they said.
The injured pilgrims, all residents of Baikunthpur in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, were rescued by personnel of the CRPF, Army, Civil Defence, Traffic Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police and shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital, Udhampur.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said one of the pilgrims was critically injured and shifted to GMC Jammu, while the other five were in stable condition and undergoing treatment at GMC Udhampur.
“Received the report of a road accident near Toldi Nallah in Udhampur involving six Amarnath Ji Yatra pilgrims from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. The devotees were travelling to the Pahalgam base camp for the holy cave darshan when their vehicle skidded off the road,” Sinha said in a post on X.
He said he had directed the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, and medical authorities at GMC Jammu and GMC Udhampur to ensure the injured received the best possible treatment.
“I pray to Lord Shiva for their swift recovery,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udhampur-Reasi Range, Shiv Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police Amritpal Singh, Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa and CRPF Commandant Manoj Sicon visited GMC Udhampur and met the injured pilgrims. The district administration assured them of all possible assistance.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also said he had spoken to Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa soon after receiving information about the accident.
“Just now spoke to DC Udhampur Minga Sherpa after receiving the report of a private motor vehicle from Madhya Pradesh, en route to Amarnath Yatra, having met with a road accident near Toldi Nallah on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Every possible assistance is being provided. My office is in constant touch,” Singh said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, a 61-year-old Amarnath Yatra pilgrim from Nepal died after falling seriously ill in Banihal while on his return journey from the cave shrine, officials said.
The deceased, identified as Krishan Dev Thakur, a resident of Mohatri in Kathmandu, became unconscious near the Navyuga Tunnel in Banihal while returning through the Baltal route, they said.
He was taken to the healthcare facility at the Lamber yatra ground and referred to the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Banihal. Later, he was shifted to the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where he died during treatment on Thursday, the officials said.
In a separate incident, four registered Amarnath pilgrims sustained minor injuries after the taxi carrying them to the Baltal base camp met with an accident in Banihal, they said.
The injured were identified as Varesh Yadav (44) and Usha Devi (55), both residents of Faridabad in Haryana, and Natasha Sharma (28) and Neharka (20), both residents of Uttarakhand.
Officials said the injured were shifted by police and emergency response teams to SDH, Banihal, where they were administered first aid.
Hospital authorities said all four pilgrims were in stable condition and under observation.
The police have initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident, the officials added.
