Pilgrim dies as Amarnath yatra suspended due to rain

A woman pilgrim died while nine security personnel were injured due to a fresh spell of rain in Kashmir on Sunday which also resulted in the suspension of the Amarnath pilgrimage for the second time since it began on July 1.

The pilgrim, identified as Urmilaben (53) died after a shooting stone hit her between Sangam Top and Lower Cave in south Kashmir on Saturday evening, a police spokesman said.

Two members of the Mountain Rescue Team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were also injured during a rescue operation to shift the pilgrim.

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In a separate incident, eight paramilitary CRPF personnel on their way to offer prayers at the cave shrine were injured in a road accident in central Ganderbal district.

Officials said no pilgrim was allowed to proceed from the traditional Nunwan Pahalgam base camp in south Kashmir and Baltal in Ganderbal district on Sunday due to inclement weather.

“It is still raining at several places on both the routes and at the Cave shrine which has made the road condition slippery at places”, they said.

Keeping in view the inclement weather conditions the authorities decided to suspend the yatra until the weather improves.

In the first 15 days of the annual pilgrimage, over two lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the 3,880 metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. Last week the yatra remained suspended for two days due to inclement weather.

The 62-day annual pilgrimage, longest in the history, will culminate on August 31 coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Shravan Purnima.

Every year, thousands of devotees undertake the yatra in July and August to pay obeisance at the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Last year around 3.65 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the Shrine despite a cloudburst hitting the yatra camp, killing 15 pilgrims on July 8.