The Amarnath Yatra was suspended on Sunday after the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was closed because of mudslides in the Ramban and Banihal route in Jammu division, NDTV reported.

District Traffic Inspector Imitiyaz Khateeb said traffic movement on the national highway was suspended after the landslides affected the stretch of the highway at Pantiyal, Digdool and Kela bore most of the brunt of the mudslides, reported Greater Kashmir. “Yatris coming back from Pahalgam [in Anantnag district of Kashmir division] have been stopped at Shaitan Nullah and Banihal,” he added. Pilgrims approach the shrine either after a 14-km Baltal trek or through the 45-km Pahalgam route, according to NDTV.

Helicopter services from both base camps to the cave shrine were suspended because of poor visibility, Rising Kashmir quoted an unidentified Amarnath Yatra official as saying. The official said the trek from Baltal base camp remained suspended for the second straight day as the track was slippery.

“The sky is cloudy and there is intermittent rain also,” the official said, adding that the trek will resume only after the weather improves. The official said pilgrims who were scheduled to leave for Baltal after darshan on Friday and Saturday were stopped to prevent accidents.