JAMMU, July 6: Early Saturday morning, a fresh batch of over 5,800 pilgrims departed from Jammu city for the twin base camps in Kashmir to join the annual Amarnath Yatra, according to officials. Despite heavy rains, the ninth batch, comprising 5,876 pilgrims, including 1,118 women and 18 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in two convoys of 245 vehicles between 2:50 am and 3:50 am.
Officials reported that 3,759 pilgrims, bound for Pahalgam, departed in a convoy of 134 vehicles, while another group of 2,117 devotees, traveling in 111 vehicles, headed for Baltal.
The 52-day yatra, which commenced from the twin base camps of Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district on June 29, has seen over 1.5 lakh pilgrims undertaking the journey. Since the first batch was flagged off from Jammu on June 28, a total of 50,317 pilgrims have left the base camp for the Valley.
