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At least 36 Amarnath pilgrims suffer minor injuries in bus collision in J&K's RambanThe accident took place near Chanderkoot, along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, officials said.
Zulfikar Majid
Last Updated IST
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Visuals from the site of the multi-bus collision.</p></div>

Visuals from the site of the multi-bus collision.

Credit: X/@PTI_News

Srinagar: At least 36 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were injured on Saturday morning when five buses of a Pahalgam-bound convoy collided in a chain-reaction crash at Chanderkote area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, officials said.

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The accident occurred around breakfast time when the convoy had halted briefly. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban, Kulbir Singh, a suspected brake failure in the last bus caused it to ram into four stationary buses, triggering a pile-up.

“Most of the pilgrims sustained minor injuries and were provided first aid at the district hospital. They are now eager to resume their journey, and arrangements are being made to shift them to other vehicles,” SSP Singh said. However, he added that three to four pilgrims may be unable to continue the pilgrimage due to their injuries.

The convoy was part of a larger group of over 110 vehicles that had departed from Jammu early in the morning, carrying devotees towards the base camp of holy cave shrine in south Kashmir. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

Despite the mishap, the 39-day annual pilgrimage, which began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9, is progressing smoothly along both the traditional Pahalgam route in Anantnag district and the shorter Baltal route in Ganderbal district.

So far, nearly 30,000 devotees have performed darshan at the sacred cave nestled in the Himalayas. The pilgrimage is being held under tight security, with measures such as RFID tags for real-time tracking, facial recognition, X-ray scanning of baggage, and strict pat-down checks at multiple points.

Traffic advisories have also been issued to regulate the movement of Yatra convoys along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, including fixed cut-off timings.

Officials confirmed that Saturday’s accident has not impacted the overall schedule of the Yatra, and all necessary safety protocols remain firmly in place to ensure the wellbeing of pilgrims.

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(Published 05 July 2025, 10:27 IST)