Amarnath Cloudburst: CM YS Jagan Enquires about AP Pilgrims Stranded Near Cave

AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy enquired about the safety of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from the State, after reports of a flash flood triggered by a cloud burst near the Amarnath cave in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday had claimed 15 lives, leaving 40 injured on Friday evening.

He directed authorities to take measures for the safety of the pilgrims and that they should coordinate with the Central government officials and ensure that pilgrims do not face any problems.

As per the Chief Minister’s instructions, CMO officials spoke to AP Resident Commissioner Praveen Prakash in Delhi.

Additional Resident Commissioner Himanshu Kaushik is being sent to Srinagar immediately where he will coordinate with the local authorities and take necessary measures for the safety of pilgrims.

As per reports in Sakshi, a group of 10 pilgrims from Kaikaluru of Eluru district were stranded after the flash floods triggered there on Friday.  On the 1st of this month Battu Sitaramaiah, Reddy, Simhachalam, Koduru Subbarao, Raju, and 10 others went to Amarnath Yatra with the help of an agent from Kaikaluru. Simhachalam's son Nani said that he called his father after hearing the news of the accident on Television. He said that they were at the top of the hill and the army personnel was making arrangements to bring them down by a helicopter. He said that everyone was safe.Relatives of those who are watching the news in the media had expressed concern over their safety.

As per the latest news at least 15,000 pilgrims, who were stranded near the Amarnath cave were shifted to the lower base camp of Panjtarni, an ITBP spokesperson said on Saturday. The border guarding force has also expanded its route opening and protection parties from the lower part of the holy cave up to Panjtarni, he said. The yatra that began on June 30 has been suspended following the tragedy and a decision on its resumption will be taken after rescue operations get over, a senior administration official had said.

Also Read: Cloudburst Near Amarnath Cave: Here Is Indian Army Helpline Number