As many as 36 pilgrims sustained injuries after the last vehicle of the Pahalgam convoy of the Amarnath Yatra lost control and hit stranded vehicles at the Chanderkot Langer site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, the officials said on Saturday.
Four buses, part of the Yatra convoy, were damaged in the accident.
The rescue teams from the police and health department, which were present on the spot, shifted the injured pilgrims to the District Hospital Ramban for medical attention, officials said.
The Yatris were shifted to other buses soon after the incident for their onward journey.
“The last vehicle of the Pahalgam convoy lost control and hit stranded vehicles at the Chanderkot Langer site, damaging 4 vehicles and causing minor injuries to 36 Yatris. The District Administration, already present at the site, immediately shifted the injured to DH Ramban…The Yatris were later shifted to other vehicles for their onward journey," Deputy Commissioner (DEO), Ramban, tweeted.
The Amarnath Yatra began on July 3 this year and will continue till August 9, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
The pilgrims approach the holy cave shrine situated 3,888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas from two routes — one traditional Pahalgam route or the other shorter Baltal route.
Those who use the Pahalgam route have to pass through Chandanwari, Sheshnag, and Panchtarni to reach the shrine and have to cover 46 km on foot.
Another group of 6,979 Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left Jammu on Saturday for Kashmir under tight security, officials said. This comes as over 26,800 devotees had ‘darshan’ at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the past two days since the 38-day-long pilgrimage began on July 3. According to officials, the latest batch departed from Bhagwati Nagar Yatra Niwas in two escorted convoys, comprising 312 vehicles. Of these pilgrims, 2,753 are headed to the Baltal base camp, while 4,226 are on their way to the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp.
