State Bureau, Jammu: The Baba Amarnath Yatra resumed on Saturday via the Baltal route after the weather cleared. However, due to the closure of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in the morning, the pilgrims were not allowed to leave from Jammu.
The Pahalgam route is currently closed. The Baltal route was suspended last Friday due to heavy rain. There was no rain on the Baltal route, and the sky remained cloudy, but with the weather improving, the administration allowed pilgrims to leave via the Baltal route this morning.
Nearly 450,000 pilgrims have visited the holy cave so far, beginning on July 3rd. The Pahalgam route is closed due to ongoing repairs. The pilgrimage still has about a month remaining.
The yatra will conclude on Raksha Bandhan. Once the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is operational and the weather is clear, the yatra’s pilgrims will depart on Sunday. Nearly a month into the yatra, the number of pilgrims has begun to decline.
A few days back, a bus carrying pilgrims returning from the Amarnath Yatra met with a horrific accident in Hariganiwan, Ganderbal district. The bus lost control while taking a sharp turn, skidded off the road, and crashed into a house. The collision stopped the bus from falling into the Sindh River, saving the lives of all 39 pilgrims onboard.
However, all 39 pilgrims were injured in the accident. 22 of them are from Rajasthan, while the remaining pilgrims are from Madhya Pradesh. All the injured have been admitted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, in Srinagar. They are currently reported to be in stable condition.
According to police, the driver of the bus (AR-11D-5655), which was returning from the Amarnath Yatra, lost control at the dangerous S-turn in Hariganiwan, located in the Gund area of Ganderbal. The bus skidded off the road and crashed into a house. Officials said that if the house had not come in the way, the bus could have plunged into the Sindh River through the deep ravine, leading to a much bigger tragedy.