18 Amarnath Yatris injured in Jammu-Srinagar highway accident

Jammu, July 13 (IANS) Eighteen Amarnath Yatris were injured in a road accident on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in J&K’s Ramban district on Monday, officials said.

The pilgrims sustained injuries in a multi-vehicle collision involving two SRTC buses, a car and a private bus in the Pahalgam-bound convoy at Langar Point, Chanderkote in Ramban.

According to officials, the accident occurred when an SRTC bus bearing registration No. JK01Y-1044 collided with another SRTC bus, JK01Y-1052. The impact pushed the second bus into a car, JK21K-8115, which then hit a private bus, JK02CL-5499.

All 18 injured yatris were immediately shifted to District Hospital Ramban for treatment. Authorities said all of them sustained minor injuries and are stable.

Ten of the injured have been identified as Harsh Rajput, 23, son of Kamlesh Rajput of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, Vishal Gupta, 18, son of Suresh Gupta, Pankaj Suvankar, 23, son of Heera Lal Shanker (all from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur), Suhaas Jeevan Mowade, 29, son of Jeevan Mowade of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, Bharat Bhushan, 45, son of Ratan of Rajasthan’s Ganganagar, Vinod Kumar, 51, son of Shiv Rattan of Sattasar in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, Kiran, 48, wife of Vinod Bagla of Rajasthan, Seema Rani, 50, wife of Akshay Kumar of Punjab, Pawan Kumar, 67, son of Shiv Rattan of Rajasthan, and Ganga Sinha, 41, son of Janta Singha of Rajasthan.

The remaining 8 injured are yet to be identified.

Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was briefly affected following the accident. Police have taken cognisance, and further investigation is underway.

The ongoing Shri Amarnath Yatra 2026, which started on July 3, will conclude after 57 days on August 28, coinciding with the Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.

Since this year’s Yatra started, more than 2.45 lakh pilgrims have had Darshan inside the holy cave shrine situated 3,880 metres above the sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas.

–IANS

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