Amarnath Yatra, Over 6 500 pilgrims leave Jammu for Kashmir

In Jammu and Kashmir, the fifth batch of more than 6,500 Amarnath pilgrims left the Jammu city in the wee hours today for the twin base camps in Kashmir valley.

A total of 6,597 pilgrims, including 1429 women, 160 seers and 33 children, left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu for the Kashmir valley in a convoy of 253 vehicles amid tight security arrangements today.

4,475 pilgrims, headed for Pahalgam, left in a convoy of 160 vehicles for the valley, while another convoy of 93 vehicles carrying 2,122 pilgrims was the first to leave for the Baltal base camp.

With this, a total of 24,162 pilgrims have left the Jammu base camp for the valley since June 30, the day the first batch of pilgrims was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.