Amarnath Yatra halted for second day due to heavy rains

As heavy rains continued to lash Kashmir, the Amarnath Yatra remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Saturday with the Srinagar-Jammu national highway also closed due to landslides at several places.

The yatra remains suspended from both the Pahalgam and the Baltal routes for the second day due to the inclement weather, officials said. No pilgrim was allowed to move towards the holy cave shrine this morning. A landslide has hit the Baltal route of the yatra track following heavy rain in the area.

The yatra will resume once the weather improves, they said. A total of 87,398 devotees have performed the pilgrimage till date.

The heavy showers, which started early on Friday, forced the suspension of the pilgrimage and the devotees were stopped at the Baltal and the Nunwan base camps.

As the 264-km Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only road link connecting Kashmir with other parts of the country, remained closed, fresh batches of pilgrims were not allowed to leave Jammu to embark on their yatra.

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The 62-day pilgrimage is held from the twin base camps -- Nunwan in Pahalgam of south Kashmir’s Anantnag and Baltal camp in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district. The 62-day annual pilgrimage will culminate on August 31 coinciding with 'Raksha Bandhan' and 'Shravan Purnima'.

Meanwhile, landslides triggered by heavy rains have resulted in the blockage of major roads in Jammu and Kashmir, including the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, Mughal Road, and Srinagar-Leh Road.

An official confirmed that these roads have been rendered impassable, urging people to avoid travel until the debris is cleared.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban, Mohita Sharma, said on Twitter: “Heavy rain along with landslide, mudslide and shooting stones in various stretches of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Ramban have closed the highway till clearance.”