Bodies of Amarnath pilgrims reach Gujarat, Rs 10 lakh for dead

Surat, July 11 (IANS) The bodies of all the seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed by militants in Jammu and Kashmir arrived here on Tuesday as the Gujarat government announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each of the dead.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani received the bodies along with 19 injured pilgrims and 32 others who were flown from Srinagar.

Rupani also announced Rs 2 lakh each for those injured in the Monday terror attack.

"The family members of the killed pilgrims will be provided Rs 10 lakh compensation by the Gujarat government while the injured will be given Rs 2 lakh," Rupani said.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women will be later sent to their hometown. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.