Amid tight security, 18th batch of devotees leave for Amarnath

Jammu: Amid tight security, the 18th batch of 2,211 pilgrims Monday left for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from here.

The batch, including 1,662 men, 398 women, and 18 children, left in a convoy of 64 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at 4:15 am, police said. The convoy for the yatra has already crossed Patnitop on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and would reach their destinations at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps by this evening, they added. With today`s batch, as many as 34,417 pilgrims have so far left from the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine. I