Amarnath yatra suspended for the second day from Jammu

Authorities have suspended the Amarnath yatra from Jammu for the second consecutive day today as a large number of pilgrims were stranded at Baltal and Pahlagam camps due to inclement weather.

No pilgrim was allowed to leave from the base camp of Bhagwati Nagar here for onward journey to the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, official sources said.

Thousands of pilgrims were also stranded at transit camps en route to cave shrine due to slippery tracks.

Despite rains, the 300km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained open for traffic but Amarnath pilgrims were not allowed to proceed further as a precautionary measure to avoid overcrowding at base camps in the valley, they said.

About 3,000 pilgrims are waiting at the base camp here, the sources said.

Over 3.70 lakh pilgrims have offered prayers at the cave shrine since the yatra started on June 30.