More than ten Amarnath pilgrims sustained injuries when three buses involved in the Yatra convoy collided with each other near the Tachloo crossing in the Khudwani area of Kulgam district on Sunday (July 13). The vehicles were en route to Baltal along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway when the incident occurred.
Immediate medical response
Around nine injured pilgrims were initially treated at a nearby medical facility. They were later shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag for further care. Medical officials confirmed that all the injured had sustained minor injuries and are in stable condition.
Yatra continues amid safety concerns
While the incident caused a temporary disruption, the Yatra proceedings resumed with heightened safety oversight. Authorities have urged transport operators to maintain safe distances and adhere strictly to convoy protocols to avoid further accidents.
A J&K Police officer said, "We reached there and evacuated all the passengers. First, we took them to the nearby PHC and then brought them here. The accident was a result of a collision between two buses."
Officials monitoring situation closely
Local administration and traffic police are closely monitoring the situation and investigating the cause of the collision. Efforts are underway to ensure smoother movement of Yatra convoys along the highway, which remains a critical lifeline for thousands of pilgrims journeying to the Amarnath cave shrine.
Over 7,000 pilgrims depart from JammuA fresh batch of 7,049 pilgrims set off from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Sunday to embark on the sacred journey to the Amarnath cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas, officials reported.
The group includes 1,423 women, 31 children, and 136 sadhus and sadhvis. Pilgrims departed in the early hours under tight security arrangements, heading toward the twin base camps- Nunwan in Pahalgam (Anantnag district) and Baltal in Ganderbal district- in separate convoys.
Of the total, 4,158 pilgrims chose the Pahalgam route, travelling in a convoy of 148 vehicles, while 2,891 pilgrims opted for the shorter Baltal route in 138 vehicles.
The 38-day annual pilgrimage to the 3,880-metre-high shrine began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9, coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival. So far, nearly 1.83 lakh devotees have paid obeisance at the cave, which houses a naturally formed ice Shivlingam.
