Cloudburst at Amarnath Cave Draws Tragedy and Bloodshed
The Cloudburst at Amarnath Cave
The cloudburst on 8th July 2022 at around 5:30 pm, triggered a horrific flash flood near the Amarnath cave. The videos which got viral from the situ, showed water gushing towards the tents engulfing them and pouring down the gorges in the blink of an eye.
An official reported to PTI, that the event was suspended. About a dozen of people were killed in the disaster. Another official confirmed about 30 to 35 people were missing. A spokesperson for Jammu and Kashmir police said that eight pilgrims died in the calamity.
Several pilgrims from Bengal took part in the Yatra. The Bengal government has received no word about the causalities from Jammu and Kashmir officials, till late Friday night. Several from West Bengal remained untraced since last Saturday evening. According to estimates with Nabanna, more than 150 pilgrims are helpless at the Amarnath cave.
Source: Student from West Bengal yet to be traced | Kolkata News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)
Barsha Muhuri a Student On Sunday her dead body was rescued from under heaps of rubble
Bengal habitat, Barsha Muhuri, a university student from Baruipur, 22 years old, attended the Yatra at the Amarnath cave along with her mother Nibedita and uncle Subrata Chowdhury. She was found to be out of track. On Sunday her dead body was rescued from under heaps of rubble. while others- a trekker from Maniktala and a mother-daughter duo from Howrah could finally be found.
Gautam Das vice-chairman, Baruipur Municipality said
Gautam Das vice-chairman, Baruipur Municipality said, “I have spoken to the relatives of Barsha and her body has been handed over to her family members in Amarnath after post-mortem. They will take the next available flight,”. Bikash Dutta, councilor of Ward 6 of Baruipur Municipality said, “Their family managed to get in touch with Uday Ghosh, a neighbor, who is also with the group. He said among the seven members in the group, Barsha is still missing.” It has been reported that Barsha Muhuri’s mother and uncle have been traced.
While others- a trekker from Maniktala and a mother-daughter duo from Howrah could finally be found. Among those who were tracked late on Saturday evening was Shobha Singh (70) along with her daughter, Jhuma. The National Disaster Response Force managed to rescue the mother-daughter. Sobha Singh and her daughters Priti and Jhuma went to the pilgrimage Yatra at Amarnath.
When the disaster broke into the place
They were residing at a camp when the disaster broke into place. Soma Singh, eldest daughter of Sobha Singh said, “Priti called me up on Friday evening and said their tent had been swept away and that our mother and Jhuma could not be found. They were soon taken to a medical camp at Baltal. Howrah City police officer confirmed on Saturday, that the duo would be brought down to Jammu on Sunday. Dibyendu Roy, a devoted trekker, also remained out of contact till Saturday. Sudisha Roy, his daughter said, “We managed to contact him in the morning. It was a sleepless night for us,”.
Pradip Bharadwaj, a member of the West Bengal Radio Club said, “Enquires for missing persons have been pouring in. We are yet to get any confirmation on missing or deceased people,”. A communication system was set up near the accident spot by amateur radio operators from Bengal.
Mr. Bharadwaj also added, “there were nearly 10000 or more pilgrims near Amarnath cave when the cloudburst happened. The camps near the cave were completely destroyed and the raging water swept away boulders and debris. We heard about the missing Baruipur woman on Saturday when we were conducting the rescue and treatment of the victims,”.
Bipul Ghosh, part of a seven-member group from the Nagerbazar-Laketown area, a resident of Dakshindari, was stuck at the Chandanwari camp for the calamity. Subhradeb Pan from Puruliya, part of the group said, “There were many groups from Bengal. Some left for Amarnath before we did,”. As reported, they have started their journey back from the Chandanwari area.
A team of 10 pilgrims from Keshiari and Dantan in West Midnapore was also trapped in the situation. “They are safe and I have also spoken to a member,” said Ayesha Rani, DM, West Midnapore.
