Amarnath pilgrim killed by ‘shooting stones' along Baltal route, yatra suspended -- What are they?
Four pilgrims were washed downhill by a landslide at Railpathri along the Baltal axis to the holy cave on Wednesday evening, the officials told PTI.
The injured were rushed to the Baltal base camp hospital where one woman pilgrim was declared dead on arrival, they said, adding the deceased was identified as Sona Bai (55), a resident of Rajasthan.
During monsoon, heavy downpour loosens rocks and soil on the steep hillsides, causing stones to tumble onto the road (known as shooting stones) and triggering landslides that can block or damage the highway.
Shooting stones and landslides along the Jammu–Srinagar highway are a recurring issue, especially during the monsoon season, when the region experiences heavy rainfall.
Meanwhile, authorities rush to carry out repair work on the pilgrimage route, affected due to continuous downpour, informed Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri.
'Due to the continuous rains over the last couple of days, urgent repair and maintenance works are required to be carried out on the tracks. Therefore, it has been decided that no movement shall be allowed towards the Holy Cave from the two base camps today,' he said.
The Divisional Commissioner also stated that pilgrims are allowed to descend from the Baltal base camp, provided adequate security teams are deployed.
'However, yatris who stayed at Panchtarni camp during the preceding night are being allowed to proceed down to Baltal under adequate deployment of BRO and Mountain Rescue Teams,' he said.
So far, over 2.47 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Holy Cave Shrine during the Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2025, according to the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) Kashmir.
Amarnath Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, where devotees offer prayer to Lord Shiva. The 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9.
(With inputs from agencies)
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