The Amarnath Yatra was temporarily suspended on Thursday after a woman died and three others were injured due to a landslide triggered by relentless rains along the Baltal route in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. According to officials, the valley witnessed continuous heavy rainfall for nearly 36 hours, leading to hazardous conditions along the pilgrimage paths. This is the first time the yatra has been suspended from the Jammu base camp this year. The woman died after being struck by a falling rock, while the others sustained injuries in the incident, PTI reported. Disturbing videos emerging from the Amarnath Yatra route. Praying for the safety of all our yatris. Hope everyone stays safe and reaches home unharmed. pic.twitter.com/oY6DRgkJiP — FK (@FaisalKhankashi) July 16, 2025 “Due to incessant rains over the last two days, restoration work is now required on the tracks along both Baltal and Pahalgam routes,” said Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Vijay Kumar Bhiduri, adding that the yatra has been suspended for July 17 from both Pahalgam and Baltal base camps. However, pilgrims who had already reached the Panjtarni camp last night are being allowed to descend towards Baltal with support from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Mountain Rescue Teams. A two-day weather advisory warning of heavy rain has been issued for Jammu and Kashmir, including the pilgrimage routes. Authorities said the yatra is likely to resume on Friday, depending on weather conditions. To facilitate quick restoration, the BRO has deployed additional men and machinery to both tracks. So far, 2.47 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine since the yatra began on July 3. A total of 1,01,553 pilgrims have departed from Jammu for the valley since the first batch was flagged off on July 2 by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. Over 4 lakh people have registered online for the yatra this year, compared to 5.10 lakh pilgrims who visited the shrine last year. The 38-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 9.
