Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 18 (ANI): Five Amarnath yatra pilgrims were injured today morning after a truck hit their car near Battal Ballian in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 137 Bn, Udhampur, Kartar Singh said that five people got injured out of the eight people in the car. These injured people have been transferred to a hospital and are now in a stable condition.

Singh said, ' At 6:13 AM, a UP vehicle carrying Pahalgam yatris had eight people in it, and they were going to travel. A civil truck with Punjab number...mileage of 60, came with such a speed that CSF soldiers standing nearby jumped aside and broke the barrier.'

He added, 'The truck directly collided with the vehicle, and after colliding with the vehicle, it crossed two dividers and went inside the wall of a house.'

He said that eight people were travelling in it, of whom five were injured and all five were sent to the hospital by the CRPF, and their condition is fine now, and the treatment is still going on.

Meanwhile, the 16th batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, comprising 7,908 pilgrims, departed from Jammu early this morning amid tight security. Due to heavy rainfall in the region, the yatra had been suspended temporarily on Thursday. But the pilgrimage was permitted to continue once the conditions improved.

Pilgrims have been visiting the Shrine from all parts of the country and abroad since the beginning of the Yatra and have expressed great enthusiasm in undertaking this journey of faith, apart from appreciating the services and efficient management in the conduct of the Yatra.

The Jammu and Kashmir Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) informed on Thursday that since the commencement of the annual pilgrimage on July 3, as many as 2.51 lakh pilgrims have already performed darshan at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in the first fifteen days.

On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed optimism about a record turnout for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, noting the concerns about turnout following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, which had shaken the nation.

He stated, 'The Amarnath Yatra will continue till August 9, and I hope that this number will increase. There was a time when, after the Pahalgam attack, it seemed that hardly anyone would come for the Amarnath Yatra. But we have touched 2.5 lakh, and if it stays like this, then we should easily cross three lakhs and 3.5 lakh.'

Amarnath Yatra is an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave, situated at an elevation of 3,888 meters above sea level, where devotees offer prayers to Lord Shiva. Pilgrims travel long distances either on the traditional 48-kilometre Pahalgam route in South Kashmir or the more direct but steeper 14-kilometre Baltal route in North Kashmir.

The 38-day annual Amarnath pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine in south Kashmir began on July 3 and will conclude on August 9. (ANI)