Srinagar, July 14 (IANS) Since it started on July 3, over 2.75 lakh devotees have performed the ongoing Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra 2026 (SANJY-2026) in Kashmir as another batch of 5,335 yatris left Jammu on Tuesday for the Valley.

Officials said that during the last 11 days, nearly three lakh Yatris have performed the Yatra.

On Monday, 24,259 yatris had darshan inside the holy cave shrine, and another batch of 5,335 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu for the Valley in two escorted convoys.

Of these, 3599 yatris are going to Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp, while 1736 are going to Baltal base camp.

In an accident near Chanderkote in the Ramban district of the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, 18 pilgrims were injured on Monday. The accident left the driver of one of the buses seriously injured, while no pilgrim suffered critical injuries.

Three vehicles were damaged in the collision. According to the officials, the accident occurred around 7.20 a.m. when the last vehicle of the Pahalgam-bound convoy, a bus bearing registration number JK01Y-1044, suffered a brake failure near the Chanderkote Langar site.

The bus rammed into another convoy bus, JK01Y-1052, and also damaged a parked car (JK21K-8115). The District Administration and Police, already deployed in the area as part of the arrangements for yatra management, immediately launched a rescue and relief operation. Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mohammad Alyas Khan, SSP Ramban Arun Gupta, SSP National Highway Raja Adil Hamid and Additional Deputy Commissioner Varunjeet Singh Charak supervised the evacuation of the injured pilgrims to the District Hospital Ramban.

According to the Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Ramban, Dr Sudarshan Singh Katoch, all 18 pilgrims sustained only minor injuries and were administered first aid before being discharged, as none required prolonged hospitalisation.

The driver of bus JK01Y-1044 sustained serious injuries and was admitted for treatment. The injured pilgrims were identified as Harsh Rajput (23), Vishal Gupta (18) and Pankaj Sonkar (23), all residents of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh; Suhas Jeevan Mourade (29) of Maharashtra; Pawan Kumar (57), Keran (48), Vinod Kumar (54), Bharat Bhushan (45) and Ganga Singh (41), all residents of Rajasthan; Sima (60) of Punjab; Byas Shan (38), Virender Shan (43), Bijli Sahani (50), Shiv Balak (27), Babita Devi (32), Birbal (29) and Tara Chand Saini (35), all residents of Bihar; and Sandeep Kumar (37) of Uttar Pradesh. After receiving treatment, all the injured pilgrims were discharged.

The district administration arranged alternate vehicles to enable them to resume their onward journey to the holy cave shrine without delay. The accident briefly disrupted the movement of the Amarnath Yatra convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. However, the damaged vehicles were removed promptly, traffic was restored, and the convoy resumed its onward journey after the situation was brought under control.

The 57-day-long SANJY-2026 will conclude on August 28, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

The cave shrine, situated 3880 metres above sea level, houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe that the ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

–IANS

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