Car-truck collision injures 5 Amarnath yatris in J&K's Udhampur

Five Amarnath Yatra pilgrims sustained injuries early this morning after their car was struck by a truck near Battal Ballian in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district. The accident occurred at approximately 6:13 AM when a truck with a Punjab registration, allegedly speeding, collided with a Uttar Pradesh-registered vehicle carrying eight Pahalgam-bound Yatris.

According to Kartar Singh of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 137 Bn, Udhampur, the impact was severe. The truck reportedly broke through a barrier and crossed two dividers before crashing into the wall of a nearby house after hitting the Yatri vehicle. Out of the eight occupants in the car, five were injured. All five injured pilgrims were promptly transported to a local hospital by CRPF personnel and are reported to be in stable condition, currently undergoing treatment.

The incident comes as the annual Amarnath Yatra continues to attract large numbers of devotees. The 16th batch, comprising 7,908 pilgrims, departed from Jammu this morning under tight security, following a temporary suspension of the pilgrimage on Thursday due to heavy rainfall. So far, since its commencement on July 3, over 2.51 lakh pilgrims have already performed darshan at the holy Amarnath cave shrine, with officials expressing optimism for a record turnout this year despite earlier concerns following the Pahalgam terror attack in April.