One pilgrim dies, four injured in separate Amarnath Yatra incidents

A 61-year-old pilgrim from Nepal died after falling seriously ill while returning from the Amarnath cave shrine via the Baltal route. In a separate incident, four Amarnath Yatra pilgrims sustained minor injuries in a taxi accident in Banihal and are stable

Banihal/Jammu: A 61-year-old Amarnath Yatra pilgrim from Nepal died after falling seriously ill in Banihal while returning from the cave shrine, officials said.

The deceased, identified as Krishan Dev Thakur, a resident of Mohatri in Kathmandu, became unconscious near the Navyuga Tunnel in Banihal while returning via the Baltal route, they said.

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He was taken to the healthcare facility at the Lamber yatra ground and referred to the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), Banihal. He was later shifted to the Government Medical College in Anantnag, where he died during treatment on Thursday, the officials said.

In a separate incident, four registered Amarnath Yatra pilgrims sustained minor injuries after the taxi carrying them to the Baltal base camp met with an accident in Banihal, they said.

The injured were identified as Varesh Yadav (44) and Usha Devi (55), both residents of Faridabad in Haryana, and Natasha Sharma (28) and Neharka (20), both residents of Uttarakhand.

Officials said the injured were shifted by police and emergency response teams to SDH, Banihal, where they were administered first aid.

Hospital authorities said all four pilgrims were in a stable condition and under observation.

The police have initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident, the officials added.