As the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board opened the 45-kms long track to Amarnath from Pahalgam to pilgrims on Friday, five people died enroute due to hostile weather conditions. Two pilgrims died at Pisu Top (11,000 ft), two others at Sheshnag (11,730 ft) and a female pilgrim breathed her last at Pahalgam hospital, sources said.

Block Development Officer, Shahbad, G M Jalali, who is also the yatra officer at Nunwan Camp, however, put the number of dead at three. He said that two pilgrims died at Pisu Top and another at Sheshnag. He added that the trio, who were between 45 and 55 years old, died of cardiac arrests. About the female pilgrim, he said that she was hospitalised after her condition deteriorated a few days ago.

Sources confirm that though the track was officially thrown open for pilgrims on Friday morning, snow still covered the route at some places ahead of Sheshnag. A spokesperson of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board however, claimed that 75 labourers had been working round the clock to improve the track and during the last 24 hours, the track from Sheshnag to Wavbal had been made fully operational.

The Board appealed to pilgrims proceeding to the shrine via the Pahalgam route to keep adequate flexibility in their travel plans as only 2,000 people would be permitted to make their way through this route in the initial phase on a first-come-first-serve basis. Children below 12 years as well as old and infirm people would not be permitted to undertake the yatra through Pahalgam side in view of the difficult route to the shrine, the Board said, and added that female pilgrims should avoid undertaking the yatra through this route for at least the next one week.

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