JAMMU: A 61-year-old woman pilgrim from Maharashtra, who was injured in a road accident, died at a hospital here, while the 18th batch of "yatris" left Jammu today to join the annual Amarnath Yatra, officials said.

The 60-day yatra to the cave shrine, located at an altitude of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas , began on the twin routes of Baltal in Ganderbal and Pahalgam in Anantnag district on June 28.

Over two lakh pilgrims had paid their obeisance at the cave shrine till last evening. The "yatra" is scheduled to end on August 26.

The woman pilgrim, identified as Gaya Bhai Kaile, was admitted to the GMC hospital after being hit by a vehicle near the Saraswati Dham railway station here on July 15. She succumbed to injuries last evening, the officials said.

They said the woman was part of a group which had arrived in the city and was getting registration for the "yatra" when the incident occurred.

Her death raised the number of people killed in the ongoing "yatra" to 27, the officials said, adding this was the third "yatri" death reported in Jammu region.

They said the 18th batch of 1,983 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp in a fleet of 59 vehicles under tight security cover in the wee hours today.

