Cloudburst at holy Amarnath cave: At least 16 killed, many pilgrims missing

INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (8) expressed his anguish over the cloudburst which happened near the Amarnath cave, a Hindu shrine, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 16 people were killed in the incident while many pilgrims were still missing.

Modi also extended condolences to the bereaved families and spoke to J&K’s lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and took stock of the situation. He also offered the latter all required help.

Indian home minister Amit Shah also spoke to Sinha and inquired about the situation. "I have spoken with Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha pertaining to flash floods triggered by a cloudburst at Amarnath Cave. NDRF, SDRF, BSF & local admin are doing the rescue work. Our priority is to save the lives of people," he tweeted in Hindi.

Sinha also posted a series of tweets related to the cloudburst in which he condoled the deaths and gave the latest updates about the rescue operation.

The Amarnath Yatra was temporarily suspended as a result of the tragedy. However, Asian News International reported quoting the spokesperson of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police that if the weather was favourable and makeshift arrangements were in place, the yatra could resume on Saturday (9).

The cloudburst was reported around 5.30 pm local time at the cave and as a result, heavy discharge of water was reported in the adjoining areas.

The Indian Army, meanwhile, launched six rescue teams including army helicopters in the cloudburst-affected area. The Indian Air Force also kept its assets such as helicopters and personnel on standby to launch rescue and relief operations. It was also reported that 25 tents were washed away by gushing water near the cave.

The latest incident happened just two days after a cloudburst in Kullu in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh which claimed five lives.