At least eight Hindu pilgrims to a Himalayan cave shrine in India-administered Kashmir have died after flash floods triggered by a cloudburst washed away several tents and community kitchens.

Police said disaster management personnel and government forces, deployed for the security of the pilgrims, were engaged in the rescue operation after Friday's incident.

A senior official of the National Disaster Relief Force, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that about 40 more were missing as concerns grew over their fate.

Tens of thousands of Hindus from various parts of India visit the shrine as part of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage during the summer. 

This year's pilgrimage is 43 days long, through two routes, both of which pass through two popular tourist spots, Pahalgam and Baltal.

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Annual pilgrimage

The deaths occurred on the Baltal side. The pilgrims trek on foot, ride horses or take helicopter rides to the shrine. Porters carry the old and the disabled to the cave in easy chairs on their shoulders.

Tens of hundreds of tents and community kitchens are established along the route of the pilgrimage to shelter and feed the pilgrims. Most of the track is not motorable.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the pilgrimage was suspended in 2020 and 2021, while it was abruptly called off in 2019 when New Delhi scrapped the region's autonomy, citing a security threat.

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