Following a security advisory issued by the J&K Government, Amarnath Yatris and tourists started leaving the state en masse on Saturday, 3 August.
Authorities suspended the annual pilgrimage citing inclement weather conditions. The governor administration issued a security advisory asking the visiting tourists and pilgrims to curtail their stay in Kashmir.
The 46-day long Amarnath Yatra started on 29 June from Jammu and was scheduled to conclude on 15 August.
On Saturday, hundreds of tourists and pilgrims were seen leaving Kashmir. Srinagar airport, on Saturday morning, witnessed a huge rush and many vehicles were seen carrying pilgrims from Srinagar to Jammu.
Meanwhile, aviation regulator DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) on Friday asked airlines to be ready to operate additional flights from Srinagar if the need arises.
Airlines such as Air India, IndiGo and Vistara announced that, given the turmoil, they were temporarily waiving off cancellation and rescheduling charges for flights to and from Jammu and Kashmir.
Many tourists are leaving via personal vehicles, public buses and hired taxis.
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