Three people were killed and 11 injured after a cloudburst triggered flash floods and landslides near the Baltal base camp of the Amarnath yatra in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Friday evening. The pilgrimage has been suspended temporarily from the Baltal route. According to officials, heavy rain and a cloudburst in the higher reaches of the area adjoining the Baltal base camp led to a huge down flow of debris around 10.45 pm. An official spokesperson said as many as 50 tents and shops as well as the parking area outside the main gate of the base camp had been affected. [related-post] Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal Showkat Ajaz said three bodies have been recovered and one person is missing. “The deceased include two minors,” he said. “Eleven people were injured and one of them was critical and was airlifted to Srinagar for further treatment.” The police have identified the deceased as Deepak Singh, a resident of Delhi, and Pooja (13) and Vikram (12), both residents of Rajasthan. The deceased were not part of the pilgrimage. “More than 1,276 pilgrims left from Domail in Baltal towards the holy cave today morning, but after the flash floods the yatra was suspended temporarily,” said Ajaz. Due to the landslides at several places on the Srinagar-Leh highway, which leads to the base camp, the road was closed. “The highway is closed to vehicular traffic following damage caused by several landslides,” said an official. A vendor in the Baltal base said huge damage had been caused due to the landslides. A defence spokesperson said the Army rescued around 2,000 people from the landslide-affected spots near the base camps.
