Srinagar, Aug 01: No Amarnath Yatra convoy departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for restoration work following heavy rainfall.
Officials said that movement of the Yatra convoy from Jammu was suspended after traffic on the highway was halted at the Ladha-Samroli stretch in Udhampur district, where incessant rains left the road surface slushy and unsafe for vehicular movement.
Despite the suspension from the Jammu side, the pilgrimage continued from the Kashmir side, officials said.
According to official figures, 8,493 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine on Saturday, including 5,654 men, 2,513 women, 45 children, 39 sadhus, 29 sadhvis, five transgender devotees and 208 security personnel.
A total number of pilgrims who have paid obeisance at the shrine since the commencement of the annual pilgrimage on July 3 has reached 4,55,281, officials added—(KNO)
