Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir): The annual Amarnath Yatra 2024 continued on day 5 with 5725 yatris leaving from Jammu's Bhagwati Nagar Yatri base camp in Jammu towards the Amarnath cave located in the Himalayas of Pahalgam in Kashmir.
An official said that the batch 6th of 5725 yatris left for the Valley in 238 vehicles on Wednesday morning to reach Pahalgam and Baltal in the Kashmir valley to perform rituals at the Amarnath cave.
The yatries who left from Jammu towards Kashmir on Wednesday included 4481 men, 1034 women, 25 children, 173 sadhus and 12 sadhvis. These yatries are being ferried to Base Camps of Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal in Sonmarg from where they leave towards the cave through mountainous road stretches.
Officials said that most of the yatris prefer to visit the cave through Baltal which is the shortest distance than Chandanwadi in Pahalgam.
The vehicles carrying the yatris from Jammu to the Kashmir valley are escorted by the para military security forces, Jammu and Kashmir police and army on Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
On Tuesday at least 10 pilgrims returning from the Amarnath yatra were injured when they jumped out of a moving bus in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district after the driver informed them about the failure of its brakes in Ramban district, officials said. The bus was, however, stopped by the army and police personnel, thus averting a possible accident along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
Officials said that for better security and safety of the yatra convoys all kinds of civilian traffic on the highway is halted for shorter durations while the yatra convoy passes by.
The administration has consistently upgraded the facilities over the years to ensure comfortable experience and convenience for yatris by manifesting qualitative accommodation, health facilities, deputation of expert medical staff, glitch-less telecommunication service, langar facilities, sanitation services besides trained NDRF and SDRF staff to extend assistance to weak, elderly and female pilgrims while trekking the mountainous terrain.
The yatra began on June 29 and will culminate on August 19.
