Amarnath yatra resumes via Baltal trek 4 days after cloudburst

The Amarnath yatra was resumed via Baltal trek as 7,000 pilgrims chanting hymns and religious slogans left towards the holy cave on the wee hours of Tuesday.

The yatra was halted on Friday afternoon after 16 pilgrims died and dozens got injured after heavy rains lashed the area causing flood-like situation near the cave and its adjacent areas. More than 40 people are still missing and officials said the search operations are still on even though there are remote chances of their survival.

It takes six to eight hours from Baltal base camp to the holy cave and pilgrims have to trek around 14 km.

Baltal, located in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, is considered as a shorter but harder trek towards the holy cave.

“Yatra was resumed after four days via Baltal axis today morning,” deputy commissioner Ganderbal said in a tweet.

On Monday, the yatra resumed via Pahalgam trek in south Kashmir with thousands of pilgrims leaving towards the cave. The Army constructed a new pathway near the cave bypassing the area that was swept by the gushing waters on Friday evening when thousands of yatris were enroute the holy cave.

The Army moved heavy equipment and machinery to remove the debris and used the latest technology and sniffer dogs to trace the bodies buried under the debris. “Even as the yatra has resumed, rescue teams are still trying to find the missing yatris. Though chances of survival in hostile conditions are remote but we are still hopeful,” said an SDRF official.

On Monday, Jammu & Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha visited Pahalgam and interacted with the pilgrims. He visited Chandwari on Tuesday and took stock of arrangements and facilities for the yatris.