The Indian Air Force (IAF) evacuated 34 injured pilgrims from the medical facility at the Amarnath yatra base camp to a hospital here on Sunday.
"An additional 34 injured pilgrims were evacuated by IAF Mi-17 V5 and Cheetal helicopters on Sunday," a defence spokesperson said here.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rain struck near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Friday, leaving at least 16 people dead and more than 30 missing.
Status of the ongoing rescue operations
IAF choppers also airlifted 20 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, along with six canines, from Srinagar to take part in the search operation to trace the missing people believed to be stuck under debris.
Two days after flash floods hit Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, hope of finding survivors from among the missing people appear to be waninig.
A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) official said most of the debris clearance is being done at the areas pointed at by sniffer dogs.
He added, "The rescue operations are going on as personnel from various agencies are clearing the debris in the hope of finding any survivor. We are still hopeful but anyone still alive under that debris will be a miracle."
In a separate development, the Amarnath Yatra has been suspended from Jammu due to inclement weather conditions and no fresh batch was allowed to proceed from here to the base camps of the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.
LG Manoj Sinha chaired meeting
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing rescue and relief operation at the Amarnath cave shrine in the aftermath of the cloudburst incident on Friday that left 15 persons dead and scores of others injured or missing.
The meeting, attended by top officials from the Army, police, Air Force, and civil administration, observed two-minute silence to pay tribute to devotees who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident yesterday. Lt Gen AS Aujla, GoC 15 Corps, and Sh Dilbag Singh, DGP briefed the Lt Governor about the ongoing rescue efforts at the holy cave. GoC said all the agencies involved in the rescue and relief operation are working in excellent coordination and they are well equipped to clear the debris, an official spokesman said.
The Lt Governor said the effort should be made to clear the debris within the shortest period of time. The DGP said the majority of the injured have already been discharged and a few others being treated at the base hospital and Srinagar are likely to be discharged within 24 hours. Sinha said teams from Army, CAPFs, NDRF, and SDRF are on the ground and doing a commendable job.
(With PTI Inputs)
