Cloudburst hits Amarnath shrine

A cloudburst hit the the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas but there was no report of any casualties. "Today in the afternoon, a cloudburst was reported to hit the rear side of the holy cave mountain triggering a sudden rise in the water-level of the stream flowing near the area," a police spokesman said. Three tents were damaged in the incident but there was no loss of life, he said, adding people were evacuated to safety.

The last batch of 77 pilgrims left from Jammu for to the cave shrine. The yatra is set to conclude in the next two days. The batch comprising of 47 men, 29 women and 1 child left from the base camp of Bhagwati Nagar in two buses around 1000 hrs, officials said. The last batch of pilgrims

is expected to reach to the base camps at Baltal and Nunwan in Pahalgam by the evening despite inclement weather.

Traffic was plying on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway despite rains at various places along the arterial road.
Around 4.55 lakh pilgrims have visited the shrine tillnow. Over 32,000 pilgrims, meanwhile, have performed darshan at the shrine of Budha Amarnath in Mandi area of Poonch district since the yatra started on August 13. Officials said that the holy mace will leave from Dashnami Akhara Mandir in Poonch town after traditional pooja on Monday. After a one-day halt of 'charri mubarak' (holy mace) at Mandi, the hawan will be performed at Budha Amarnath temple on August 24, they said, adding the mace will return to Poonch on August 25.