259 pilgrims leave for Amarnath

Jammu, Aug. 12 (UNI) A fresh batch of 277 pilgrims, the lowest since the Amarnath yatra which commenced last month, left for Pahalgam and Baltal base camps from where they would move towards the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir, official sources said.

The batch, comprises 147 men, 28 women, 3 children and 99 sadhus left in a fleet of seven vehicles, including seven buses amidst tight security from here around 0505 hrs this morning, sources said.

With today's convoy, the 42nd this year, a total of 54,409 pilgrims have left for the holy shrine from the Jammu base camp since July 2, sources added.

UNI