At least 16 people have died in a sudden flash flood as a crowd of Hindus performed a pilgrimage at the Amarnath Temple in Indian-administered Kashmir, a government official reported on Saturday.
More than 20 people are missing and rescue operations are still underway.
A spokesman for the Indian Defense Ministry in Srinagar said that military and civilian helicopters are conducting continuous flights to evacuate the injured and dead.
The authorities suspended the pilgrimage ceremonies until further notice.
During the annual visiting season, tens of thousands of Hindus cross glaciers and submerged passages to reach the cave in Kashmir, which contains icy deposits considered a physical embodiment of Lord Shiva.
The cave is covered in snow for most of the year, but authorities have allowed people to visit it for 45 days during the summer as temperatures in the corridors increase.
This year's visiting season comes after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities expect 800,000 Hindus to arrive at the temple after more than 60,000 have arrived so far in the first ten days.
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