Death toll rises to 16 after floods in a sacred cave in Kashmir, northern India

MADRID, 10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

At least 16 people have died, 35 have been injured and 40 are still missing, after the flood last Friday of a sanctuary located in the sacred cave of Amarnath in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, in the north of India, due to strong fallen rains.

Rescue operations have recovered several bodies, bringing the death toll in the Amarnath accident to 16, the 'Kashmir Reader' newspaper reported on Saturday night.

So far, only five of the deceased have been identified, while work continues to determine the identities of the others.

For their part, the wounded were evacuated to different hospitals, where they are receiving treatment. "Everyone is stable," said Police Inspector General Vijay Kumar, in statements collected by the aforementioned newspaper.

Rescue operations continue to be carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). At least six teams are involved in the ongoing operation, according to the 'India' media.

Initial reports suggested that a violent downpour began to fall on the Baltal base camp on Friday, which would have also devastated the camp that had been set up outside the sanctuary, which is believed to be about 5,000 years old and It has a privileged space within ancient Hindu mythology.

The pilgrimage to this sanctuary began on June 30, after two years interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week it had to be suspended due to bad weather. It is estimated that more than 72,000 pilgrims will travel to the place until August 11, when the event ends.