Ganderbal, July 26: Heavy rains around the Amarnath Cave triggered panic and briefly halted the ongoing Amarnath Yatra as the water levels in the nearby streams rose on Tuesday.
The heavy rains in the high mountains around the Amarnath Cave resulted in the rise of water levels in the nearby streams at around 3 pm.
Officials said that an alert was sounded immediately and the yatris on the way or near the Amarnath Cave were rushed back to Panchtarni camp.
They said that there were no reports of any loss of life or injuries or damage to property due to the rains.
The yatra was temporarily suspended for a brief period amid heavy rains but with the improvement in weather conditions, it resumed and the yatris were allowed to move towards the Amarnath Cave for darshan.
Officials said that there was no flood-like situation and that the weather was getting clear and normal.
Over a dozen yatris died earlier this month after rains triggered a flash flood around the Amarnath Cave. The annual 43-day yatra commenced from the twin base camps – the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in south Kashmir’s Anantnag and the 14-km shorter route in Baltal-Ganderbal on June 30.
This year, so far, over 2.25 lakh yatris offered prayers at the Amarnath Cave that houses the naturally forming ice stalagmite, the officials said.