A woman pilgrim was killed and three others sustained injuries in a landslide along the Baltal route of the Amarnath Yatra in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
The administration has suspended the Yatra temporarily due to safety concerns, officials have said.
The landslide occurred at Z-mode, near Upper Railpathri, reportedly sweeping several pilgrims downhill along the Baltal axis, leading to the holy cave.
Shortly after the landslide, the injured were quickly rushed to the base camp hospital, where a woman was declared dead on arrival.
The deceased has been identified as Sona Bhai, wife of Dara Ram, a resident of Rajasthan. Further, the authorities said that no fresh batch of pilgrims will be allowed to proceed from Jammu amid bad weather and incessant rain.
The decision was taken in view of landslides and heavy rainfall along the Yatra route.
“More than 2.47 lakh Yatris have so far performed the Amarnath Yatra since it commenced on July 3,” an official said.
So far, more than 3.5 lakh people have registered online for the pilgrimage, while the numbers are likely to surge in the coming days after the J&K administration established special counters for offline registration.
Last year, more than 5.10 lakh Yatris paid obeisance at the cave shrine.
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