SRINAGAR: A cloudburst incident near the holy shrine of Amarnath has left the pilgrims apprehensive and at least 16 people have lost their lives in this incident. More than 40 people are missing, officials said, and the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and others are involved in the rescue. Operation. Here are 10 major updates:
1) As the rescue operation is on, the walk has been temporarily suspended. NDRF DG Atul Karwal said 16 people have been confirmed dead and around 40 are still missing.
2) The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Saturday informed that around 15,000 people have been safely shifted so far after the cloudburst incident near the holy Amarnath temple on Friday. In a statement, ITBP said, “Most of the passengers stranded near the holy cave area due to floods last evening have been shifted to Panjtarni. This continued till afternoon. There are no passengers left on the track. Around 15,000 people have been evacuated so far. Safely transferred.”
3) Officials said that continuous efforts are being made to clear the debris and search for the missing people near the areas affected by the cloudburst.
4) IAF officials said that 29 people were rescued by them, out of which 9 were seriously injured.
5) BSF Mi-17 helicopter has been pressed into action for air transportation of injured persons and dead bodies as well as further treatment or transportation of bodies to their homes from Nilgarh Helipad/Baltal to BSF Camp Srinagar.
6) Indian Air Force has deployed 2-2 ALH Dhruv and Mi-17 V5 helicopters from Srinagar for rescue operations at the Amarnath cave site. Air Force officials said the An-32 and Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft in Chandigarh are ready for further requirements.
7) The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday launched a helpline for the Amarnath Yatra. “Helpline number for Amarnath Yatra: NDRF: 011-23438252 011-23438253; Kashmir Divisional Helpline: 0194-2496240; Shrine Board Helpline: 0194-2313149,” the government’s public relations department and SASB tweeted from their respective handles.
8) A cloudburst triggered flash floods in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Saturday, causing minor damage to some vehicles, officials said. The cloud burst in the Gunti forest area of Thathri area around 4 am, causing heavy floods, an official said, adding that no casualty was reported in the incident, he said.
9) From Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal to Amit Shah, top leaders expressed grief and concern over the tragedy.
10) A decision on resuming the pilgrimage would be taken after the rescue operation is completed, an official said.