Army forms special rescue teams for Amarnath pilgrims

Learning lessons from the devastation caused by flash floods in Uttarakhand, the army has formed special rescue teams to tackle any natural calamity that may hit pilgrims during their march towards the Amarnath shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Third Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army has been deployed teams in the hills of Pahalgam who have been trained in rescue operations during landslides, avalanches or in crossing of a river that is in spate.

"For avalanche security as well as landslides we have trained our at least 10 teams, so that they can be equally deployed on both the routes. We call them the mountain rescue teams for anyone falling down the crevasse, for avalanche rescue team, if somebody gets buried under the avalanche. So they are well geared up, well trained, practiced and rehearsed," said a senior army official, R. R. Nimbhorkar on Sunday.

This annual pilgrimage commences in the last week of June every year and concludes in early August as per Indian Hindu almanac.

Meanwhile, the state administration has made all arrangements to ensure fool-proof security of the pilgrims.

The Amarnath cave is located atop a snow-capped mountainous peak in the Himalayas.

The reports of flash floods and landslides causing immense inconvenience to pilgrims and tourists including deaths in the northern state of Uttarakhand have not deterred devout Hindus from undertaking this pilgrimage to Amarnath.