Another batch of devotees leave for Amarnath

Jammu: Amid tight security, the 24th batch of pilgrims on Sunday left for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from here.

As many as 1,499 pilgrims, including 997 men, 387 women and 13 children, left from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu in a cavalcade of 45 vehicles at 4:15 AM, police said. The convoy has already crossed Patnitop on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and would reach their destinations at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps by this evening, they said. With today`s batch, a total of 43,911 pilgrims have so far left from the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine.