Amarnath Yatra Suspended After Landslide Kills Woman Pilgrim

The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended on Thursday (July 17) from Jammu and both base camps in Kashmir following a landslide that claimed the life of a woman pilgrim and injured three others. Officials cited a weather advisory forecasting heavy rainfall across Jammu and Kashmir as the reason for halting the pilgrimage.

The landslide occurred on Wednesday (July 16) evening at Railpathri along the Baltal route, a key track leading to the holy cave shrine. Four pilgrims were swept downhill by the debris. While the injured were rushed to the Baltal base camp hospital, one of the pilgrims—a 55-year-old woman identified as Sona Bai from Rajasthan—was declared dead on arrival.

With this, the death toll during this year's pilgrimage has reached 15.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration decided to suspend the yatra on Thursday morning, with no fresh batch of pilgrims being allowed to proceed from Jammu to the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps.

"Shri Amarnathji Yatra has been suspended for 17.07.2025 from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps. Continuous heavy rains over the last two days have necessitated restoration work to be carried out on tracks along both routes," said Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Vijay Kumar Bhiduri.

However, yatris who spent Wednesday night at Panjtarni were permitted to descend toward Baltal with the support of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) personnel and Mountain Rescue Teams. The BRO has deployed significant manpower and equipment to repair and clear the tracks.

"In all likelihood, the yatra shall resume tomorrow (Friday), depending on the weather conditions during the course of the day," Bhiduri added.

This marks the first instance of the yatra being suspended from Jammu since the pilgrimage began earlier this month.

Despite the disruption, more than 2.47 lakh pilgrims have already offered prayers at the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine, which houses a naturally formed ice lingam, since the pilgrimage commenced on July 3. Over 1.01 lakh pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp since July 2, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off the first batch. The number of online registrations for the yatra this year has exceeded 4 lakh, according to officials.

Last year, the yatra saw a record footfall of over 5.10 lakh pilgrims.

The 38-day Amarnath Yatra is scheduled to conclude on August 9, coinciding with the festival of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.

Authorities have urged pilgrims and stakeholders to monitor weather updates closely and cooperate with officials to ensure a safe and smooth pilgrimage once conditions improve.

(With inputs from PTI)