Death toll in Amarnath cloudburst rises to 16; 15,000 stranded pilgrims evacuated

A Border Security Force spokesperson in Delhi said 16 bodies have been shifted to Baltal

A day after a cloudburst near the Amarnath shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas led to flash floods, claiming lives of 16 pilgrims, rescue operations continued on Saturday.

Over 15,000 pilgrims were moved to the lower base camp while more than 40 are still missing, as the rescue teams worked overnight to help the trapped people, officials said. Sofar bodies of 16 missing pilgrims have been retrieved.

The majority of pilgrims who were marooned near the Cave shrine last night have been relocated to Panchtarni, one of the base camps for the Yatra, they said. However, notwithstanding the flash floods and the deaths, the 11th batch of over 6,000 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu city on Saturday for the twin base camps in Kashmir.

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An Mi-17 chopper of the BSF’s air wing has been pressed into service while Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration has also deployed advanced light helicopters for the rescue operations.

“16 people have been confirmed dead. About 40 still seem to be missing. No landslides have been reported, but there's continuous rain....though it's not hampering rescue work," Atul Karwal, NDRF Director-General, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“Four NDRF teams with over 100 rescuers (are engaged) in rescue work. Besides, the Indian Army, SDRF, CRPF, and others continue to rescue," he added.

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"Most of the pilgrims, who were stranded near the holy cave shrine area due to the flash flood, have been shifted to Panjtarni. The evacuation continued till 3:38 am. No pilgrim is left on the track. About 15,000 people have been safely shifted till now," the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) spokesperson told PTI.

As the operations continued on Saturday, survivors recalled the nightmare that unfolded after a massive cloudburst occurred near the Cave shrine.

“After the cloudburst took place, I only saw water everywhere. I saw people, tents and bags being swept away by strong waves,” said Sunil Kumar, a pilgrim from Gujarat.

An Army official said an infantry battalion led by a colonel along with Quick Reaction Teams, an additional company from the Rashtriya Rifles Sector and a team from special forces had reached the shrine with specialised rescue equipment to undertake the operation.

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"Through the night, the senior Army officers of the infantry battalion and Rashtriya Rifles oversaw and coordinated rescue operations. Medical resources at the cave and at Nilgrar were activated and additional resources deployed," he said.

Nine surveillance detachments with hand-held thermal imagers, night-vision devices and other gadgets were deployed for the search operations, the official said

"Two advanced light helicopters were moved for casualty evacuation at the holy cave. However, owing to bad weather, night landing at the cave was unsuccessful. Two Through-Wall Radars and two search and rescue dog squads were also moved to the cave," he added.

Meanwhile, J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited SKIMS hospital in Srinagar to enquire about the health of injured pilgrims, an official spokesperson said. He met the doctors treating the injured and impressed for all possible treatment for their speedy recovery.

The Lt Governor went around the wards where injured were receiving treatment, and enquired about their well-being. It was informed that seven pilgrims who were injured during the tragic cloudburst are under-going treatment at the Hospital and being monitored by senior health staff.

Later, the Lt Governor also visited the Police Control Room, Srinagar where he was briefed about the status of sending the mortal remains of deceased pilgrims to their respective hometowns.

(With agency inputs.)