At least 15 dead after cloudburst near Amarnath cave in J&K, Army joins rescue ops

At least 15 people have been killed and 40 are missing following a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army has joined the rescue operations along with teams of National Disaster Response Force, state disaster response force, and police.

The cloudburst took place at around 5:30 pm on Friday, resulting in heavy discharge of water near the cave shrine. A sudden wave of water from above and sides of the cave, after heavy rain in the upper reaches, washed away three langars.

Several tents have also been damaged. At least 4-6 people generally stay in a tent, said officials.

According to NDRF officials, 15 casualities have been reported so far. The injured are being airlifted for treatment and the is now under control, officials said.

"Looking at the hazard level, the Amarnath Yatra has been halted temporarily due to the area being inundated. If the weather remains normal and makeshift arrangements are made, then the yatra can be resumed tomorrow," ITBP officials said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah took stock of the situation and spoke to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha over phone.