At least 13 people were killed when a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir Himalayas triggered flash floods Friday evening that damaged 25 tents and three community kitchens, police and NDRF officials said.
An official on the ground said about 30-35 people are missing while five have been rescued.
NDRF Director General Atul Karwal told PTI that a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was based in the affected area even as two more teams from nearby locations of Barari Marg and Panchtarni have reached there.
”We have three teams comprising about 75 rescuers in action right now,” Karwal said.
Meanwhile, an official of the union territory administration said that the Amarnath yatra, which began on June 30, has been temporarily suspended in view of the tragedy, adding a decision on its resumption will be taken after rescue operations end.
The cloudburst struck around 5.30 pm amid heavy rainfall, officials said.