At least 36 Amarnath pilgrims sustained minor injuries on Saturday when a bus carrying devotees rammed into three stationary vehicles at a langar (community kitchen) point in the Ramban district on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
"The last vehicle of the Pahalgam convoy lost control and hit the stranded vehicles at the Chanderkot langar site, damaging four vehicles and causing minor injuries to 36 Yatris," said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramban, Mohammad Alyas Khan.
The District Administration, already present at the site, promptly shifted the injured to the District Hospital (DH) Ramban. DC Alyas Khan, along with DIG Doda-Kishtwar Range Shridhar Patil, SSP Ramban Kulbir Singh, and ADC Varunjeet Singh Charak, visited the hospital, monitored treatment, and directed the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to provide the best possible care. The injured pilgrims were later shifted to other vehicles to resume their onward journey.
According to reports, the accident occurred near Chanderkoot around 8 a.m. when a convoy of yatra vehicles had halted at the langar site. A traffic police official said the accident was caused due to brake failure of the bus, which led it to collide with other stationary vehicles.
Fortunately, most of the pilgrims were inside the langar tents at the time of impact, avoiding major casualties. All injured Yatris received first aid, and no serious injuries were reported.
The last vehicle of the Pahalgam convoy lost control and hit stranded vehicles at the Chanderkot Langer site, damaging 4 vehicles and causing minor injuries to 36 Yatris. The District Administration, already present at the site, immediately shifted the injured to DH Ramban. DC… pic.twitter.com/geVBpOLaHS
— Deputy Commissioner (DEO), Ramban (@dcramban) July 5, 2025
Medical Superintendent of DH Ramban, Dr. Sudarshan Singh Katoch, confirmed that the pilgrims were discharged after receiving first aid. The convoy later resumed its journey after the damaged buses were replaced.
6,900 Amarnath Pilgrims Leave Jammu Base Camp
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of over 6,900 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday to visit the Amarnath cave shrine.
According to officials, the fourth batch of 6,979 pilgrims — comprising 5,196 men, 1,427 women, 24 children, 331 sadhus and sadhvis, and one transgender person — left in two separate convoys between 3:30 a.m. and 4:05 a.m. amid tight security arrangements.
Of them, 4,226 pilgrims in 161 vehicles proceeded towards the Nunwan base camp for the 48-kilometre traditional Pahalgam route, while 2,753 pilgrims in 151 vehicles headed for the 14-kilometre shorter but steeper Baltal route.
With this latest batch, a total of 24,528 pilgrims have departed from the Jammu base camp since Wednesday, when Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha officially flagged off this year's Amarnath Yatra.
