Amarnath Yatra resumes on Monday from Nunwan after 3-day halt
Three days ago, a cloudburst-like weather event triggered flash floods near the Amarnath cave that claimed around 16 lives and left nearly three dozen people missing
The Amarnath Yatra, which got suspended for three days due to fatalities caused by a cloudburst event, resumed on Monday (July 11). The yatra will commence from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam and choppers will be provided from both sides, Baltal and Nunwan, said an Amarnath Ji Shrine Board official.
The pilgrims waiting at the Baltal Base camp will resume the pilgrimage on Monday, as informed by the officials. Per recent updates, a fresh batch of pilgrims has started to move from the Jammu base camp.
The Army said that in view of the yatra resuming from Pahalgam Axis, a stairway to the cave has been made overnight to facilitate the devotees’ travel.
According to the Army, a Xaver 4000 radar has been installed and has been operational at Amarnath for spotting any survivors under the debris.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the families of two women who lost their lives in the Amarnath cave cloudburst
“Govt will provide help of Rs 10 lakhs to each family & ensure their children’s studies go well,” said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/cmOadsPQen
— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022
Three days ago, a cloudburst-like weather event triggered flash floods near the Amarnath cave that claimed around 16 lives and left nearly three dozen people missing.
Also Read: Amarnath flash flood tragedy not due to cloudburst: IMD
Rescue and treatment
The critically injured were airlifted to Srinagar. As per reports, they have been taken to the hospital for further treatment in an Airforce Mi-17 helicopter from the cave site.
An additional 34 injured pilgrims were evacuated by IAF Mi-17 V5 and Cheetal helicopters this morning. IAF helicopters also airlifted 20 NDRF personnel along with six canines to search for missing persons stuck under the debris.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited a base camp in Pahalgam and met the pilgrims. Sinha also visited SKIMS Srinagar to enquire about the health of the pilgrims admitted there for treatment.
“The security personnel and administration have carried out an efficient rescue operation. We pay condolences to those who lost their lives. Efforts are underway to resume the Yatra along with repairing the path. Pilgrims should come, we will provide them with all facilities,” Sinha said.
Sinha holds meeting
The LG had earlier chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing rescue and relief operations near the cave. A two-minutes silence was tributed to devotees who lost their lives in the incident.
According to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, around 35 pilgrims have been discharged following treatment and 17 are likely to get discharged soon.
As per officials from CRPF, around 40 people were reported missing out of which some were rescued. Also, two people were found buried alive under the debris and were later rescued.
Responding to reports claiming 37 missing people from the state in Amarnath cloudburst, Andhra Pradesh govt clarifies that 2 people are reportedly missing; remaining 35 have been traced and are safely returning to the state pic.twitter.com/fPFnm3QxmD
— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022
On the occasion of Eid, many members of the Muslim community were seen offering services to pilgrims during the yatra. Some were also seen offering namaz at the Baltal base camp.
IMD report
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday (July 8) said cloudburst was not the reason behind the flash floods near the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir. The weather watchdog said that the tragedy happened due to a highly-localised rain event and not because of a cloudburst.
As per the IMD, in order to be called a cloudburst, there has to be heavy rainfall, say more than 100 mm in a short span of time.
