15,000 Rescued, 40 Still Missing After Amarnath Cloudburst

After a flash flood caused by a cloudburst swept away dozens of people and left at least 16 dead, pilgrims have been relocated to safety from close to the revered cave sanctuary of Amarnath. About 15,000 people were in the area. According to authorities, more than 40 people are still missing.

The majority of the pilgrims who were left stranded last night close to the sacred cave location have been relocated to Panchtarni, which serves as the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra. This morning, 21 injured pilgrims were flown to Baltal.

“There are currently sixteen confirmed fatalities. 40 people still appear to be missing. Although no landslides have been recorded, rescue efforts are not being hampered by the persistent rain. With more than 100 rescuers working in four NDRF teams, In addition, the Indian Army, the SDRF, the CRPF, and others continue to provide “ANI news agency cited NDRF Director General Atul Karwal as stating. Lt Gen ADS Aujla, commander of the Chinar Corps, has arrived in the cloudburst-affected regions to assess the situation. The rescue efforts are also being overseen by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar.

Following their safe evacuation from the impacted areas, pilgrims have described in vivid detail how cloudburst-induced floods engulfed tents and community kitchens in muck and big rocks. They claimed that some of the pandals two kilometres from the cloudburst spot were also impacted.

According to officials, the cloudburst, which was detected at about 5:30 p.m., caused flash floods to strike the base camp outside the shrine, causing damage to 25 tents and three communal kitchens where the pilgrims are provided food. The automatic weather station at the holy cave recorded 31 mm of rain in the area between 4:30 and 6:30.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind have conveyed their sorrow over the deaths. The central army and the government of Jammu and Kashmir have been ordered by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to guarantee prompt rescue and assistance. Four helplines have been established by the Jammu and Kashmir administration so that people can gather information on the incident.

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