8 Hindu pilgrims killed in Kashmir cloudburst

By Hilal Mir

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - At least eight Hindu pilgrims to a Himalayan cave shrine in Indian-administered Kashmir died Friday after flash floods triggered by a cloudburst washed away several tents and community kitchens along the route of the annual pilgrimage.

Police said disaster management personnel and government forces, deployed for the security of the pilgrims, were engaged in the rescue operation.

A senior official of the National Disaster Relief Force told Anadolu Agency, on the condition of anonymity, that the casualty toll was 12 dead and about 40 more missing, many of whom could also be dead.

Tens of thousands of Hindus from various parts of India visit the shrine during the summer. This year's pilgrimage is 43 days long, through two routes, both of which pass through two popular tourist spots, Pahalgam and Baltal.

The deaths occurred on the Baltal side. The pilgrims trek on foot, ride horses or take helicopter rides to the shrine. Muslim porters carry the old and the disabled to the cave in easy chairs on their shoulders.

Tens of hundreds of tents and community kitchens are established along the route of the pilgrimage to shelter and feed the pilgrims. Most of the track is not motorable.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pilgrimage was suspended in 2020 and 2021, while it was abruptly called off in 2019 when New Delhi scrapped the region's autonomy, citing a security threat.

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965, and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights groups, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict that flared up in 1989.

A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.