Five pilgrims, including two women, died enroute the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, taking the toll during the ongoing yatra to six, police said on Wednesday.
The first batch of over 12,000 yatris (pilgrims) left for the cave shrine located at 14,500 feet above the sea level from the two base camps.
"The helicopter with four passengers and the captain crashed 500 meters short of the helipad near the cave shrine on Thursday morning. A woman pilgrim on the ground was killed on the spot while five occupants of the helicopter were wounded," said a senior police officer.
Over 500,000 pilgrims have so far visited the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the Himalayas, although only 3.50 lakh had registered themselves from different parts of the country for this year's yatra.
Although the Supreme Court has mandated the Centre to conduct the polls by the end of September, a spate of terrorist attacks in J&K could cause delays.
The annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir commences on July 15.
Expressing its reluctance to quash criminal proceedings against activist Swami Agnivesh for allegedly making a controversial statement about the Amarnath pilgrimage, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said people's sentiments cannot be taken for granted. A bench of justices H L Dattu and C K Prasad, which was about to dismiss Agnivesh's petition seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings, adjourned the matter for Monday after he pleaded for more time to put forth his case.
Over 1.38 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas since the pilgrimage started on June 10.
An indefinite curfew was imposed in the entire Jammu city on Thursday morning following fresh tension in the wake of a youth's suicide against the revocation of the forest land allotment to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. Police and Central Reserve Police Force troopers have been deployed in strength to enforce curfew restrictions in the city.
Yet another controversy dogged this year's edition of Amarnath pilgrimage with the state government and the shrine board locking horns over the issue of helicopter services for the affluent pilgrims.
The ongoing pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas was on Tuesday suspended from Pahalgam and Baltal base camps as heavy rains lashed parts of the Valley, officials said in Srinagar.
The recently reconstituted Shri Amarnath Shrine Board on Monday took a major decision appointing a high profile panel for the preservation of the environment enroute and around the Holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.
According to a press statement issued after the all-party meeting, communalisation of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir should be prevented at all costs as this would adversely impact the secular fabric of the nation.
Gulmarg was the coldest place in Kashmir on Sunday.
Jaswant Singh, a 35 year-old vegetable seller, sprinkled kerosene on his body and set himself ablaze at his shop in the presence of dozens of people while chanting Bum bum bholay in Gagwal village of Kathua district, official sources said in Jammu.
The advisory comes in the wake of the recent inclement weather along the Nepalganj-Simikot-Hilsa route of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nepal, and the consequent stranding of pilgrims for over a week.
On the Opposition's poll promise of statehood restoration, Shah said, "I want to ask Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi, who is going to restore the statehood. You cannot give it back. Why are you misleading the public?"
From calling the selectors 'a bunch of jokers' to being named as the new selector, life has come a full circle for Mohinder Amarnath. The former India all-rounder will replace Yashpal Sharma in the national selection committee in the only change to the panel.
An official said the attack appears to be a reprisal for killing of several Lashkar terrorists.
The condition of three of the injured is stated to be serious.
A fresh batch of 6,162 pilgrims, including 1,360 women and 222 Sadhus on Monday left the winter capital for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir, officials said.
This year's annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath nestled in the Himalayas in south Kashmir is slated to begin from June 29. The month and a half long yatra shall end on August 13, coinciding with the 'Raksha Bandan' festival.
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Former India batsman Sandeep Patil was appointed chairman of the national selection committee on Thursday, while Mohinder Amarnath was sacked after serving just a year on the panel.
Four Amarnath pilgrims died due to cardiac arrest en route to the cave shrine in Kashmir Himalayas over the past three days, taking the death toll in this year's pilgrimage to 15, officials said in Srinagar on Sunday.
Kashmir continued to be under a state of curfew and security forces continued to be on a state of high alert for the second consecutive day across the Valley.
The hard-line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Friday threatened agitation 'in case the annual Amarnath yatra is not restricted to the original 15 day schedule.'
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday convened an all-party meet on the Amarnath issue on August 6.
Police said the tragedy was caused by loosening of the stones by recent rains and high velocity winds near the holy cave.
It has been suspended due to incessant rains.
Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama are already under curfew following the death of three youths on Monday in clashes between the Central Reserve Police Force and stone-pelters. Anantnag and Pahalgam towns fall on the Jammu-Pahalgam pilgrimage route. But those taking the North Kashmir Baltal route to reach the cave shrine have to pass through Bijbehara, Awantipore and Pampore towns in the south.
Sixty-seven villages in Assam's Lakhimpur district have been battling flood waters for the last six months.
Expressing "shock" over the growing number of Amarnath pilgrims' death, which has risen to 97, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to immediately deploy medical aid teams for the yatris.
The authorities on Sunday seized a helicopter belonging to a private operator for allegedly making unauthorised sorties between Srinagar and Baltal, the base camp of the Amarnath yatra, in Ganderbal district of Kashmir.
The Amarnath yatra is not only a great bondage between the Hindu pilgrims and local Muslims who facilitate the yatra, but has also helped maintained a deep relationship in thought and aspiration between Kashmir and other parts of India that has existed for thousands of years.
One more pilgrim on Monday died while returning from 3,880-mt high Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, taking the death toll in the ongoing yatra to 98.
Six pilgrims died en route to the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas, taking the death toll during the pilgrimage to 30 this year, officials said.
