Amarnath Yatra: 129 Karnataka pilgrims rescued, says govt

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The state government on Sunday disclosed that all 129 pilgrims from Karnataka who had been stranded on the Amarnath Yatra route had been rescued.

Thousands of pilgrims from around the country have been stranded in various camps in Jammu and Kashmir due to inclement weather. The pilgrimage site is a cave located in a mountain at an altitude of 12,756 feet in Pahalgam tehsil of Anantnag district in Kashmir.

Heavy rain and landslides have forced authorities to suspend the pilgrimage. In some parts of Kashmir, there is snowfall as well.

The highest number of pilgrims from Karnataka are from Bengaluru district at 78 followed by 23 from Gadag, 13 from Mysuru and six from Ballari district.

Mediapersons were informed that pilgrims from the state were rescued on Sunday and were being moved to Srinagar.

Three officers namely Commissioner of the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) Pommala Sunil Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Crime, Bengaluru City Police Yathish Chandra and Probationer Kanishka are camping in Srinagar to ensure the rescue of the pilgrims.

“The pilgrims who have moved out of Panchtarni Base Camp are safe and have either reached Srinagar or are in transit to Srinagar.

The team of the three officers is facilitating their transit,” Principal Secretary to the State government, Revenue Department V Rashmi Mahesh said. More rains have been forecast in Anantnag district in the days to come.