Amarnathji Yatra-2009
Mobile Rescue Team rescues lady Yatri, child from
drowning near Poshpathri

Srinagar, July 24 – In a swift response, the Mobile Rescue Team (MRT), deployed by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) in the Sheshnag-Panchtarni sector, and on both sides of Mahagunas Top, rescued a lady pilgrim and her child from drowning in a deep Nallah, following a heavy rain yester-afternoon.

Giving details of the post-rain scenario in the entire Himalayan region around the Holy Cave of Shri Amarnathji, a Spokesman of the SASB said that after receiving information about the incident in the afternoon, the Rescue Team, immediately rushed one kilometer down Poshpathri and saved Mrs. Sonali of Lahori Gate, Amritsar, Punjab and her one and a half year old son, Himashu, from drowning. They were safely shifted to a Bhandara in Poshpathri and given the required medical assistance.

It may be recalled that the SASB had requisitioned personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, after their high altitude mountaineering training at the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering, Pahalgam, and deployed two teams of these trained personnel at the critical points of Wavbal and Poshpathri for meeting any exigency on this stretch of the traditional Pahalgam-Holy Cave route which has been under a heavy snow cover.

The Spokesman elaborated that heavy rains had lashed the entire Yatra area from 11.15 a.m. to 3.05 p.m. yesterday, as a result of which the Yatris who had left from Sheshnag and Panchtarni for darshan at the Holy Cave could not return back to their respective Camps. The Yatris enroute the track between Mahagunas Top and Panchtarni were shifted to Poshpathri Bhandara by the Rescue Teams. The rains affected the Yatra for a brief period which, however, resumed at various points following improvement in the weather.

According to a report of the Meteorological Department, the weather shall remain generally cloudy with possibility of rains today from Pahalgam to the Holy Cave and Baltal to the Holy Cave area.

Meanwhile, the Spokesman said that Yatra to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Amarnathji is proceeding smoothly and 3783 Yatris performed darshan on Thursday. He stated that 1929 pilgrims left from the Baltal Base Camp and 2464 from the traditional route of Pahalgam this morning, on their journey to the Holy Cave Shrine. He further said that another batch of 1031 Yatris left Jammu today for the Pahalgam and Baltal Base Camps.

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