A cloudburst has been reported near the Amarnath cave in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday evening. The officials have asked people in and around the cave to move to higher ground for safety. No loss of life or injury has been reported as of yet.

The video of the cloudburst shows massive volumes of water rushing down from the mountains near the holy cave. A rescue team has been rushed to the cloudburst-hit area.

The cloudburst has led to heavy rain in the area and people staying and camping near the Amarnath cave have been asked to stay away from the Sindh river in the area. The water level in the river may suddenly rise because of the cloudburst and the currents might become very strong, NDTV reported quoting a rescue official.

The tragedy could have been bigger if the Amarnath Yatra was on. The pilgrimage was cancelled for a second year in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not many people stay around the shrine except for the security forces, whose camps are located at the base of the hill that leads to the cave.

The 56-day Amarnath Yatra was scheduled to start simultaneously on the only two routes from June 28 and end on Raksha Bandhan, August 22, but was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“It’s important to save people’s lives. So, it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year’s pilgrimage in the larger public interest,” the Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor had tweeted.

This is the second cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir in the span of 12 hours. At least nine people were killed and 19 missing after flash floods hit Honjar village in Jammu & Kashmir’s remote mountainous Kishtwar district following a cloudburst early on Wednesday. Officials said 12 people were rescued.