Srinagar: The Amarnath Yatra resumed on Friday after being temporarily suspended on Thursday due to heavy rainfall across Kashmir.
Officials confirmed that fresh batches of pilgrims departed for the holy cave shrine from both the Nunwan and Baltal base camps early Friday morning.
The Yatra was halted as a precautionary measure after continuous rainfall triggered landslides and shooting stones at several vulnerable points along the mountainous route.
After being halted due to continuous rainfall and landslides, the 16th batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who were staying at Baltal and Nunwan base camps have resumed their journey towards the holy cave shrine.
According to officials:
Baltal route convoy* carried 2,879 pilgrims in 92 vehicles
Pahalgam route convoy* carried 5,029 pilgrims in 169 vehicles
Grand total 7,908 pilgrims in 282 vehicles
The Yatra had been temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions, but improved conditions allowed the safe resumption of the pilgrimage. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of all devotees.
So far, over 2.50 lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the sacred cave shrine of Shri Amarnath Ji, located in the south Kashmir Himalayas, since the pilgrimage commenced on July 3.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 9.
