JAMMU/SRINAGAR: At least 36 Amarnath pilgrims suffered minor injuries Saturday after a bus hit another in a Pahalgam-bound convoy that had stopped at Chanderkote in J&K’s Ramban district for breakfast, triggering a chain collision among four buses.
The accident occurred around 7.15am after the driver of the first bus reportedly lost control due to brake failure. The pilgrims in the buses were part of a larger group of 6,979 who had left for the cave shrine in Kashmir from a base camp in Jammu.
The mishap prompted a directive from J&K lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha for comprehensive safety measures in vehicles ferrying Amarnath pilgrims. He asked officials to ensure checks at all key locations and guarantee uninterrupted availability of food and medicines along the yatra route. “By the blessings of Lord Shiva, all devotees are safe. Our priority is the safety of all pilgrims,” a govt spokesman said.
The 36 injured were treated at Ramban District Hospital and discharged. Most carried on with their journey. The bus whose driver lost control was damaged and its pilgrims were shifted to another vehicle, Ramban SSP Kulbir Singh said, adding only three to four of the injured changed their mind and decided not to go further.
“Most of the injuries were minor and all affected yatris were discharged after first aid,” said Ramban deputy commissioner Ilyas Khan, who had rushed with other senior officials to the spot in Chanderkote. LG Sinha spoke to Khan to provide all necessary assistance to the injured pilgrims.
According to SSP Singh, the private bus that lost control was from Madhya Pradesh. “The yatra convoy had halted for breakfast at Chanderkote Langer (a community kitchen that provides free food to devotees),” SSP Singh said.
Earlier in the morning, the 6,979 pilgrims had left the base camp in Jammu braving heavy rain, officials said. This is the fourth Amarnath batch since the over month-long yatra started on July 3. The 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children and 332 others, including monks, left in two convoys between 3.30am and 4am amid tight security, officials said.
(Inputs from Naseer Ganai in Srinagar)
The accident occurred around 7.15am after the driver of the first bus reportedly lost control due to brake failure. The pilgrims in the buses were part of a larger group of 6,979 who had left for the cave shrine in Kashmir from a base camp in Jammu.
The mishap prompted a directive from J&K lieutenant-governor Manoj Sinha for comprehensive safety measures in vehicles ferrying Amarnath pilgrims. He asked officials to ensure checks at all key locations and guarantee uninterrupted availability of food and medicines along the yatra route. “By the blessings of Lord Shiva, all devotees are safe. Our priority is the safety of all pilgrims,” a govt spokesman said.
The 36 injured were treated at Ramban District Hospital and discharged. Most carried on with their journey. The bus whose driver lost control was damaged and its pilgrims were shifted to another vehicle, Ramban SSP Kulbir Singh said, adding only three to four of the injured changed their mind and decided not to go further.
“Most of the injuries were minor and all affected yatris were discharged after first aid,” said Ramban deputy commissioner Ilyas Khan, who had rushed with other senior officials to the spot in Chanderkote. LG Sinha spoke to Khan to provide all necessary assistance to the injured pilgrims.
According to SSP Singh, the private bus that lost control was from Madhya Pradesh. “The yatra convoy had halted for breakfast at Chanderkote Langer (a community kitchen that provides free food to devotees),” SSP Singh said.
Earlier in the morning, the 6,979 pilgrims had left the base camp in Jammu braving heavy rain, officials said. This is the fourth Amarnath batch since the over month-long yatra started on July 3. The 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children and 332 others, including monks, left in two convoys between 3.30am and 4am amid tight security, officials said.
(Inputs from Naseer Ganai in Srinagar)
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