08:39 ( IST) PM

Rescue operations continue as some pilgrims are still missing.

08 : 37( IST ) PM :

The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended from Jammu due to inclement weather conditions and no fresh batch was allowed to proceed from here to the base camps of the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

07 : 28( IST ) PM :

05:54 ( IST ) PM :

Hopes of finding those missing in the Amarnath flash floods alive , are fading by the hour even as the rescuers are making last ditch efforts to look for any survivor and the army has pressed heavy machinery into service to restore the track to the holy cave shrine in the South Kashmir Himalayas , officials said on Sunday.


05:04 PM , Jul 10 :

LG Manoj Sinha visited a base camp in Pahalgam & met people and other pilgrims of the Amarnath yatra

05:04 PM (IST), Jul 10

84 Andhra pilgrims to Amarnath safe, two untraced yet.

About 84 pilgrims from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, who went on the Amarnath yatra, were reported safe while only two women still remained untraced as on Sunday afternoon, official sources here said.Initially, the state government said five pilgrims went missing but later three were traced and confirmed to be safe.State government authorities got in touch with many of the pilgrims, and also their families here and confirmed that the tourists were safe after the cloudburst and flash flood near the holy cave shrine.

05:03 PM (IST), Jul 10

63 pilgrims from Beed, Maharashtra stranded in Amarnath rescued.

Sixty three people from Beed in Maharashtra got stranded during the Amarnath pilgrimage and they were later rescued and taken to Jammu, Srinagar and other places, a district administration official said on Sunday.A total of 63 pilgrims – 39 from Dhamangav village and 24 from Parli city in Beed district – had gone to Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir, where a flash flood occurred following a cloudburst, he said.The pilgrims had got stranded near the Amarnath temple shrine.”They have now been rescued and taken to places like Jammu, Srinagar, Baltal and Delhi. They are safe,” the official said.

03:43 PM , Jul 10 :

Security personnel & admin carried out an efficient rescue operation. We pay condolences to those who lost their lives. Efforts are underway to resume the Yatra along with repairing the path. Pilgrims should come, we will provide them with all facilities: LG

02:45 PM (IST), Jul 10

A total of 69,535 pilgrims have left in 10 batches from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the Valley since June 29, the day the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.

02:32 PM , Jul 10 :

Baltal, J&K | Indian Army pulls up critical rescue equipment to speed up the process of rescue operations & route maintenance in view of recent cloudburst of Amarnath in which 16 people lost their lives while several are assumed missing.

11:39 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

The Andhra Pradesh government also opened a dedicated helpline number 1902 to extend required help to pilgrims from the state.

11:35 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

The five pilgrims belonged to different towns in the state and remained “untraced” after the tragedy near the holy cave.

11:35 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

Five pilgrims, including two women, from Andhra Pradesh were reported missing in the cloudburst and flash flood near the holy Amaranth cave in Kashmir, the state government said here

09:46 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

Special prayer was conducted for those who lost their lives in the cloudburst & Masjid committee offered help to pilgrims who need assistance.

09:45 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

Members of Muslim community, who are offering services to pilgrims during Amarnath yatra, offer namaz at Baltal Base Camp on Eid Al Adha.

09:42 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

Amarnath cloudburst: Pilgrims wait for yatra to resume

09:40 AM (IST), Jul 10 :

Amarnath Yatra has been suspended today second day in a row on both sides of Baltal and Pahalgam to facilitate a successful rescue operation near the holy cave.

11:18 PM (IST), Jul 9

Operating in inclement weather & in an effort that continued throughout the day,eight Cheetal & MI 17 V5 helicopters of IAF airlifted over 13 Tons of relief load & evacuated 109 injured pilgrims from the site affected by the cloud burst: Indian Air Force.

11:06 PM (IST), Jul 9 :

The Central Reserve Police Force officials on Saturday said that all forces including NDRF, CRPF, SDRF, Army, and JKP mountain rescue teams were promptly rescuing the pilgrims from the cloudburst affected spots and informed that sun can solidify the clayey debris which would increase problems for the rescuers to evacuate people.

11:04 PM (IST), Jul 9 :

Drones and helicopters were pressed into service and mountain rescue teams and lookout patrols with high-tech equipment and sniffer dogs deployed as operations continued on Saturday to look for survivors in the cloudburst incident near the Amarnath cave shrine that snuffed out 16 lives.

10 : 13 PM :

4 Mi-17V5 & 4 Cheetal helicopters of the Indian Air Force were deployed for rescue & relief efforts at the Amarnath shrine today. Air assets continue to be on standby at all major air bases in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh areas: IAF .

09:07 PM

Amarnath cloudburst: Rajasthan CM Gehlot announces ₹5 L aid for kin of victims from state

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday announced a financial aid of ₹5 lakh each for families of pilgrims from the state killed in the Amarnath cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir.

8:11 PM

After the cloudburst near the Amarnath cave, 12 passengers from Uttarakhand who were trapped in the Panchtarni Helipad Army Base Camp, have been airlifted by the Army and brought safely to the Srinagar Army Camp: Uttarakhand CMO to ANI

7:15 PM

J&K LG Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting earlier today to review the ongoing rescue & relief op at Amarnath cave. Meeting observed 2-minute silence to pay tribute to devotees who lost their lives in the incident y’day. Admin is providing all facilities: Office of J&K LG

6:53 PM

6:52 PM

Several Amarnath devotees return home without paying obeisance

It was a case of ‘so near yet so far’ for several devotees who were waiting for their turn to pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, when the cloudburst swept away everything that came in its way, but had to return without having the glimpse of the naturally formed ice-lingam in south Kashmir Himalayas.

5:17 PM

Three from Rajasthan among pilgrims killed in Amarnath

At least three pilgrims from Rajasthan were among those killed in a flash flood near the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, an official said on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as Mohanlal, Sunita Wadhwa and Sushil Khatri, all from the Sri Ganganagar district, a Disaster Management and Relief Department official said.

Amarnath Cloudburst live updates

04 : 53 PM :

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said there has been no report of any untoward incidents related to Kannadigas so far, following the flashflood triggered by a cloudburst near the cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir where the death toll has risen to 16. He said the Karnataka government has taken steps to rescue people from the State stranded in Amarnath.

 

04:27 PM :

Rescue Operations by Indian Air Force .

 

04:26 PM :

IAF Rescue Efforts Continue Unabated Despite Inclement Weather Conditions
The Indian Air Force has been continuing its rescue efforts to airlift the mortal remains of casualties, injured persons, NDRF personnel and relief load since this morning.

5:22 PM

Place facts about Amarnath tragedy before country: Yashwant Sinha to BJP govt

The Opposition’s joint candidate for the presidential election Yashwant Sinha on Saturday expressed anguish over the lives lost due to a cloudburst near the Amarnath cave shrine and urged the government to place facts about the incident before the country. “I express deep anguish over the loss of life in the Amarnath tragedy. We don’t know exactly how many people have been killed but it seems that many lives have been lost,” the former Union minister said. “It is our duty that we try to bring out the truth. The government should place facts about the tragedy before the nation and not hide anything,” Sinha said.

04:07 PM :

Among those who escaped the tragedy was Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh. The legislator and his family members, who reached Amarnath by a helicopter, decided to ride ponies on their way back as the weather began deteriorating. “We sensed that the weather suddenly changed for the worse. In that circumstance, the helicopter service would also be cancelled. So we decided to descend the hills riding ponies. I could see the rains on the hills and then several tents got swept away in the floods,” Raja Singh said.

04 : 05 PM :

Administration Using Radio Frequency ID to Track Missing Pilgrims.

The ITBP has expanded its route opening and protection parties from the lower part of the holy cave up to Panjtarni, a spokesperson of the force said. Jammu and Kashmir Police ADGP Vijay Kumar, who holds charge of the Kashmir range, reached the holy cave shrine in the morning to supervise rescue operations being conducted by security forces and the NDRF. He said the rescuers were clearing the debris to look for survivors as the administration was cross-checking the data of pilgrims to get the exact number of casualties. Every pilgrim has been provided with a radio frequency identification card this time because of terror threats.

04:02 PM :

Mountain Rescue, Sniffer Dogs Deployed in Search Ops.

Mountain rescue teams and lookout patrols with high-tech equipment and sniffer dogs have been deployed for the search and rescue operation, as per an army official. “Air rescue operations started Saturday morning and six pilgrims were evacuated by army helicopters. The military medical teams are receiving patients and casualties at the Nilagrar helipad for onward evacuation,” an official said. An Mi-17 chopper of the BSF’s air wing has been pressed into service. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has also deployed advanced light helicopters for rescue operations. A BSF spokesperson in Delhi said, “Sixteen bodies have been shifted to Baltal.”

04:00 PM:

Death Toll Rises to 16; 15,000 Stranded Pilgrims Evacuated.

The death toll in the flash flood triggered by heavy rain near the Amarnath cave shrine rose to 16 on Saturday as search operations continued without a break amid fears that many are still trapped under the debris. Officials said 15,000 stranded pilgrims were moved to the lower base camp of Panjtarni and 25 injured people were rushed to hospitals after the flash flood and landslides rummaged through tents and community kitchens on Friday afternoon.

3:01 PM :

Army carries out rescue ops for Amarnath Yatris at Baltal , Kashmir.

2:35 PM :

Amarnath tragedy could have been averted if Doppler radar at Banihal was functional

More than two years after the announcement, Doppler radar at Banihal in Union Territory (UT) of Jammu & Kashmir is still not functional. It is a crucial missing link that could have helped avert the tragic deaths of over a dozen people at Amarnath Shrine in the UT on Friday. A Doppler radar is an important tool that gives the India Meteorological Department (IMD) a more accurate assessment of the clouds and rainfall in the given range of the radar, 100 km in case at Banihal. At Banihal, this Doppler radar is an X-band radar to be installed at a high point to get clearer access to the atmospheric changes in the hilly terrain. The location is under the Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment (DGRE), that too at a high altitude, away from any village. “That is the reason, there are accessibility issues too. Also, it may have been announced earlier, but the procurement procedure is a lengthy process. It takes time,” said a scientist from IMD.

2:10 PM :

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expresses grief over death of pilgrims in Amarnath cloudburst.

2: 05 PM :

CRPF personnel carry out rescue operation in cloudburst-affected area.

2 : 03 PM :

” We hope the government will explain what happened & how. The basis on which tents were put up at such a risky place should be investigated. It is 1st-time that tents were placed there. This can be a human error” , J&K National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Amarnath cloudburst incident.

 

1:53 PM :

The 11th batch of over 6,000 pilgrims left Jammu for Amarnath base camps even as the annual pilgrimage to the cave shine in south Kashmir was halted because of the flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall that killed at least 16 people.

01:40 PM

15 bodies have been retrieved, says IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar
Police, NDRF, SDRF, CAPF & security forces are engaged in the rescue work. So far 15 bodies have been retrieved. 35 people were injured who have been rescued by helicopter service. We will clear the debris by evening and retrieve bodies if found: IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar.

01:38 PM

Manoj Sinha visits SKIMS Srinagar after the incident happened in Amarnath cave
LG Manoj Sinha to visit SKIMS Srinagar to enquire about the health of pilgrims who were injured in yesterday’s incident of cloudburst in the lower reaches of Amarnath cave.

01:37 PM

J&K: Rescue operation in progress in the cloudburst-affected areas in Amarnath cave

12:58 PM

Amarnath flash floods may be due highly localised rain event, not cloudburst, says IMD
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said the deaths and destruction near the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir were due to a highly localised rain event and not due to a cloudburst. According to weather scientists, the shrine reported 31 mm of rainfall between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm on Friday, which is quite low to be categorised as a cloudburst. Weather scientists said it was very difficult to predict cloudbursts due to their very small scale in space and time.

12:48 PM :

Tehsildars of Ramban district ordered high alert in view of cloudburst.

12:43 PM :
Indian Air Force rescues Amarnath victims.

 

12.41 PM :

Uttarakhand CM speaks to people from the state who are stuck in the cloudburst affected areas.

12 : 22 PM :

Death toll rises to 16 , 40 still missing.

 

10:55 AM :
Rescue operation in progress in the cloudburst affected areas in Amarnath

10:50 AM :
BSF MI 17 took off from Nilgrath helipad with 8 dead bodies at 10.17 am, and it will land at BSF helipad Humhama from where the dead bodies will be taken to PCR for embalming, officials said.

10 : 47 AM :
Indian Army employing sophisticated rescue equipments and trained professionals on site .

10:05 AM :
Devotees shared experience ,the
devotees who had gone to visit the Amarnath cave just before the cloudburst shared their experiences. “We saw the clouds bursting in front of us. We were all watching when the rain came. Around 5.30 we left, and suddenly there was a loud sound. We are all lucky that we came back after having darshan. All this happened right after the darshan, all the tents were washed away.

09:51 AM :
Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen ADS Aujla reaches the cloudburst-affected areas near Amarnath cave where the rescue operations are underway.

09:18 AM :

Major Pankaj Kumar, Nodal Medical Officer, Northern Route spoke on evacuation and rescue operation that continues in the cloudburst-affected areas. He was quoted by ANI as saying, “About 10 patients were there, 2 received head injuries, 5 have fracture and 2-3 cases of hypothermia have been reported.”

09:16 AM
Around 30-40 people are still missing, says PRO, ITBP
“Rescue operation has been intensified, around 30-40 people are still missing. The weather is clear near Amarnath cave. The injured people have been brought to base using helicopters. Yatra is still on hold & we’re advising people not to move ahead,” said Vivek Kumar Pandey, PRO, ITBP.

08:58 AM :
Stranded pilgrims moved
At least 15,000 pilgrims, who were stranded near the Amarnath holy cave in Jammu and Kashmir due to a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst, have been shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni, an ITBP spokesperson said on Saturday.

08:56 AM :

Army personnel reach Nilgrar, Baltal to evacuate the affected in the aftermath of the cloudburst incident which was reported, early this morning.

08:55 AM :
SSP Doda Abdul Qayoom said that today (July 9) at around 4 am, “a cloudburst was reported at Gunti Forest uphills of Thathri Town. No casualties were reported. Some vehicles were stuck and the highway was blocked for some time, but it has now been restored for the movement of traffic .

08:54 AM :
Indian Army troops have created drinking water facilities for the pilgrims present in the cloud burst-affected areas near the Amarnath holy cave site.

08:52 AM
IAF Mi-17 helicopters have taken off from Srinagar .
Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 helicopters have taken off from Srinagar to join the rescue operations at the Amarnath cave site. The aircraft has been on stand-by since morning but could not take off due to bad weather in Srinagar and adjoining areas, said IAF officials. (ANI)

07:56 AM
Pilgrims share horrifying tales
Deepak Chouhan, a pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi told ANI, “A stampede-like situation happened there, but Army supported a lot. Many pandals were washed away due to the water.” Another pilgrim Sumit from Maharashtra said, “the floods triggered by the cloudburst carried a large number of stones with it. We were two kilometres away from the cloudburst site.” Another pilgrim said, “When the cloudburst took place, we could not believe it. After a while, we only saw water and water. We were a group of seven to eight people, by Bholenath’s grace, we all got saved. However, we all had a harrowing experience as we witnessed people and bags swept away with the water.”

07:55 AM :
Fresh batch of pilgrims leave from the Jammu base camp
A fresh batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims left from the Jammu base camp for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps in Kashmir. “We are heading towards the Pahalgam camp and are hoping that yatra will resume. We pray to Baba Bholenath to protect all the pilgrims,” said a pilgrim.

07:52 AM
PM Modi expresses anguish
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the incident. “Anguished by the cloud burst near Shree Amarnath cave. Condolences to the bereaved families. Spoke to @manojsinha_ Ji and took stock of the situation. Rescue and relief operations are underway. All possible assistance is being provided to the affected,” he said in a tweet.

07:51 AM
‘I wish all the devotees well’: Amit Shah
Amarnath latest update: Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the central forces and Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure swift rescue and relief. Shah said in a Tweet in Hindi that he has spoken to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take stock of the situation. “NDRF, CRPF, BSF and local administration are engaged in the rescue work. Saving people’s lives is our priority. I wish all the devotees well,” the minister said.

07:48 AM :
‘Localised cloud over the holy cave’
The cloudburst that occurred around 5.30 pm dumped copious rain and thick streams of sludge rolled down the mountain slopes into the valley. According to the automatic weather station at the holy cave, the area received 31 mm rainfall from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. “It was a highly localised cloud only over the holy cave. Such rain had happened earlier this year as well. No flash flood,” said Sonam Lotus, director of J&K’s meteorological department.

07:47 AM :
A flash flood triggered by a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir swept away scores of people, killing at least 13 and swamping tents and community kitchens with mud and rocks hurtling down a hillside, police and NDRF officials said.

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