Srinagar: The annual Amarnath Yatra was suspended on Wednesday after a woman pilgrim died and three others were injured in separate incidents triggered by adverse weather conditions along the Baltal route in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
Officials said a woman was killed after being struck by a shooting stone near the Brarimarg area while trekking toward the Amarnath cave shrine. The impact proved fatal, making her the first pilgrim to lose her life in the current yatra season.
In a separate incident, three devotees were injured when they were swept away by a sudden mudslide caused by heavy rains. A widely circulated video showed two of them being carried by the force of gushing slush, even as fellow pilgrims rushed to their rescue. Authorities confirmed that all three were later pulled out alive.
According to reports, a large number of pilgrims were stuck between Bararimerg and Rayalpatri along the Northern Route of Yatra. Indian Army deployment at Bararimerg came into action and provided shelter to held up pilgrims while providing basic comforts. Also a number of critically sick patients were stuck between two slide areas at Rayalpatri.
Indian Army came to the rescue of a large number of pilgrims at the northern route of Amarnath Yatra. The pilgrims were stranded amidst heavy rain. They provided shelter and comfort, and QRTs also carried out some critically sick patients in stretchers. Proud of our selfless &… pic.twitter.com/khK7oTcQ1q
— Shubhangi Sharma (@ItsShubhangi) July 17, 2025
Following these incidents and in light of continued inclement weather, the yatra was suspended from both the Baltal and Pahalgam base camps. Fresh batches of pilgrims were stopped in Jammu as a precautionary measure, making this the first time this year that the pilgrimage has been halted at the Jammu base due to weather-related concerns.