STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: One more pilgrim died on Thursday of cardiac arrest enroute the Holy Cave Shrine of Amarnath in South Kashmir, taking the total number of pilgrim deaths to six, even as over one lakh people have paid obeisance at the Cave Shrine within a week, officials said.
Surinder Dutt Biyas (65), a resident of Rajasthan, died of cardiac arrest near Sheshnag along the traditional 42-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag District of South Kashmir this afternoon, the officials said.
The pilgrim death toll in the ongoing Yatra is now six including a woman tourist from Delhi. Two pilgrims from Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, died on 2 and 5 July. Efforts are on to bring down the body of the deceased, officials said.
They said the Yatra was going on smoothly from the twin routes of Pahalgam and the shorter 16-km Baltal route in Ganderbal District and so far over one lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Cave Shrine, housing the naturally formed Ice-Shivlingam.
As many as 86,696 pilgrims had offered their prayers till last night, the officials said, adding an average 15,000 pilgrims visit the Cave Shrine daily. “Till date, 86,696 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the Ice Lingam in the Holy Cave,” an official spokesman said.
On the 6th day of the yatra, 15,593 Yatris paid obeisance at the Holy Cave.
As many 1,867 pilgrims, comprising 1,464 men, 262 women, 141 Sadhus and others, left in a cavalcade of 55 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu at 5:00 AM, a police official said.
