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| Two pilgrims crushed to death by shooting stones at Cave Shrine | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 29: The annual Amarnath pilgrimage has started on a sad note with four deaths of pilgrims reported so far after the start of yatra on June 28.
On day 1 two pilgrims died due to heart attack while two pilgrims were reportedly crushed to death on the foot steps of the cave shrine minutes after the pilgrims performed darshan of the ice lingam early Sunday morning. A pilgrim hailing from Maharashtra earlier died due to heart attack at the cave shrine on saturday while another pilgrim from Gujarat died after he complained of chest pain while he was going to the base camp near Ramban.
According to official spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine board,two pilgrims, identified as Suresh Yadav son of Kharpallu Yadav from Bedi Borhagaon, Varanasi, and Dara Singh son of Gian Singh from Bhatinda, were crushed to death when two large boulders rolled down the snow mountain near the Holy Cave at 6.25 am. The two young men were killed when they were coming down the stairs of the shrine after paying their obeisance.
On learning about the freak accident Governor directed the senior Shrine Board authorities to immediately rush to the cave shrine to access the situation and take necessary measures to further prevent any mishap.
Chief Executive Officer R.K. Gupta, and Preet Pal Singh, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board on reaching the cave shrine assessed the ground situation and held consultation with the Camp Directors and Security Officers located at the Shrine.
The CEO gave instructions regarding an immediate reconnaissance of the hill side from which the rocks had rolled down. In this effort the CEO received valuable assistance from the Army, particularly Maj Mohanta of 4 BIHAR.
The CEO made arrangements for the bodies of the deceased to be transported from Holy Cave to Sonamarg for completion of legal and other formalities and being kept in the State Health Department Mortuary. The next of kin of the deceased are being contacted and all required support will be provided for their cremation or the bodies being transported to their native places.
Both the deceased were duly registered Yatris, as revealed by the documents recovered from their bodies. As per the Shrine Board's Policy, all registered pilgrims who may get killed in any accident in the Yatra area, during the Yatra period, are provided by an Insurance cover of rupees one lac. On return to Srinagar, in consultation with the Governor, who is Chairman of the Shrine Board, the CEO announced that besides the Insurance money, the next of kin of the deceased, after due verification, would also be provided ex-gratia support of rupees one lac in each case, on behalf of the Board. The Chairman also directed that expenditures on the transportation of the dead bodies to the native places of the deceased would be borne by the Board.
The Chairman and the CEO have conveyed their heartfelt sympathy to the families of the two youth who lost their lives in this morning's tragic accident. |
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