Amarnath pilgrim from Bengal dies of cardiac arrest

Srinagar :  A 72-year-old pilgrim from West Bengal died today due to cardiac arrest en route for the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir, taking the death toll in the ongoing yatra to three.

A K Mukherji, a resident of Howrah, died due to cardiac arrest at Poshpathri this morning, a police official said. With this, the death toll in this year’s yatra has risen to three.

A pilgrim from Jammu was killed by a shooting stone at Brarimarg on June 29, while an assistant sub-inspector of the ITBP suffered cardiac arrest at the same place a day before.

Meanwhile, more than 15,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the naturally-formed Ice Shiva Lingam inside the cave shrine till 9 am today, an official of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.

He said the yatra was going on smoothly from both Pahalgam and Baltal routes. The 40-day yatra will conclude on August 7, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.