One Dead, Three Injured Due To Mudslide On Amarnath Route; Yatra Suspended Until Weather Improves-OxBig News Network

One person was killed and three others were injured due to a landslide along the Amarnath Yatra’s Baltal route in the Railpathri area of Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday evening.

The deceased has been identified as a 55-year-old woman pilgrim from Rajasthan, identified as Sona Bai. The injured were promptly taken to the Baltal base camp hospital for treatment and are reported to be stable.

The Border Roads Organization (BRO) acted swiftly to clear debris in the Railpathri area, allowing the Yatra to resume partially after the initial disruption. 

Meanwhile, authorities have suspended the Amarnath Yatra on July 17, due to continuous heavy rainfall and resultant safety concerns in Pahalgam and Baltal till the weather improves. No fresh batches of pilgrims are being allowed to proceed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu or along the Baltal and Pahalgam routes in Kashmir. However, the pilgrims at the cave will be allowed to come down to the base camps on both routes. 

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) also faced disruptions due to landslides and slow traffic; however, the road has been cleared.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the next 24 hours, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kashmir from midnight. An active Western Disturbance interacting with monsoon winds is likely to trigger widespread rains across the region, with south Kashmir expected to receive the heaviest showers. Central and north Kashmir may experience light to moderate rain with a few heavy spells.

The Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3, is scheduled to conclude on August 9, and has seen over 2,47,313 pilgrims visit the holy cave shrine in the first 16 days.

Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and expect the Yatra to resume once weather conditions improve and the routes are declared safe. Meanwhile, the authorities have advised the pilgrims to follow official advisories from the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (jksasb.nic.in) or contact the Joint Police Control Room in Pahalgam and Baltal for assistance.