Amarnath convoy vehicle hits divider in Udhampur, driver hurt

JAMMU: A Pahalgam-bound vehicle part of the Amarnath Yatra convoy hit a divider in Udhampur’s Chenani area early Wednesday, leaving the driver injured , even as four passengers escaped unscathed.

Preliminary probe suggested the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, leading to the accident around 6.17am. “The injured driver, Shashikant, is a resident of Haryana’s Karnal. He was admitted to Udhampur GMCH with a head injury,” said an official.

Meanwhile, the eighth batch of Amarnath yatris — comprising 7,579 pilgrims — set out early Wednesday from Jammu’s Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the holy cave shrine nestled in the Himalayas. Of them, 3,031 pilgrims chose to travel via the Baltal route , while 4548 devotees opted for the traditional Pahalgam route , officials said.

Last week, 36 were injured when four buses ferrying Amarnath pilgrims had a chain collision in Ramban’s Chanderkote on the Jammu-Srinagar NH on July 5. On July 3, two yatris were injured inside Tunnel no. 3 of the NH’s Khooni Nala section when their car hit a minibus.

This year’s annual Amarnath Yatra commenced on July 3 and will conclude on Aug 9 (Shravan Purnima/Raksha Bandhan).