Cloudburst near Amarnath Cave, 5 dead

Srinagar: Tragedy befell Amarnath Yatra when a cloudburst triggered flashfloods at Kali Mata near Y Junction of the holy cave shrine on Friday evening. Five people have so far died in the incident

“Cloud burst occurred at lower Amarnath Holy Cave at around 5:30 pm today. Rescue teams rushed. Three langars have washed away due to the heavy flow of water near the holy cave. Few people reportedly missing, There are four casualties so far,” said Aamir Ali, director disaster management department.

A massive rescue operation has been launched to locate the missing persons and bring the situation under control. Besides, ITBP and J&K Police, the Indian Army, and others have been pressed into service to rescue people.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar, told a local news agency that two deaths were reported after some langers and tents came under cloudburst and flash floods at the holy cave.

He said that the injured persons are being airlifted for treatment while the situation is under control.

“Some langars and tents have come under cloud burst/flash floods at #HolyCave. 02 deaths were reported. #Rescue operation by Police, NDRF & SFs in progress. Injured being airlifted for treatment. #Situation under #control. IGP Kashmir,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

Officials further said that the chopper has also been pressed into the service to rescue the injured persons.