A massive rescue operation is currently underway at the campsite of the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu & Kashmir after flash floods caused by a rainstorm left 16 people dead and dozens of others missing.
More than 15,000 pilgrims have been rescued so far from the site of the accident, officials engaged in rescue operations said on Saturday.
The Indian Army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a paramilitary force, have been pressed into service to help the Jammu and Kashmir administration in the rescue operations.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), India's elite disaster response force, has also joined the Indian Army, the ITBP, and J&K personnel in their efforts to evacuate people to safer locations.
"Sixteen people have been confirmed dead. About 40 still seem to be missing. No landslides have been reported, but there is continuous rain, though it is not hampering rescue work. Four NDRF teams with over 100 rescuers in rescue work. Besides, Indian Army, SDRF, CRPF and others continue to rescue," NDRF Director General Atul Karwal told the news agency ANI.
Pilgrims who have been rescued from the site of the disaster have shared harrowing experiences of the flash floods.
"A stampede-like situation happened there, but the army supported a lot. Many pandals were washed away due to the water," Deepak Chouhan, a pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh said in a conversation with the Delhi-based news outlet ANI.
The Amarnath pilgrimage is an annual affair in India. However, it was suspended for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cave is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hindu God of destruction, and is situated 3,888 meters (12,756 feet) above sea level, in Indian-administered Kashmir, about 141 kilometers from the Union Territory's capital Srinagar.