Amarnath yatra suspended due to inclement weather

Srinagar : Due to the heavy rains and inclement weather conditions, the Amarnath yatra from the twin routes of Pahalgam and Baltal was suspended on Friday.

"The yatra has been suspended temporarily in view of the rains that lashed the twin routes early in the morning, " an official of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.  He said the rains have rendered the tracks slippery at some places. 

"The pilgrims headed for base camps at Baltal and Nunwan are requested to check the status of the yatra with the control room or helpline set up by the SASB before starting off, " the official said.  Braving inclement weather, over 6,000 pilgrims on Thursday paid obeisance at Amarnath amid tight security. Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh flagged-off the first batch of the Amarnath Yatra from a Jammu base camp in the wee hours on Wednesday.

The highest level of security measures have been put in place ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra. With the Intelligence Bureau warning of a terror threat from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, security is high, the security measures would also include a satellite tracking system.