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Amarnath temple is located in a cave 3,888 m above sea level.
32 others sustained injuries, of whom six are critical, said an official. The officers were returning from Amarnath Yatra duty when the accident happened.
According to weather scientists, the shrine reported 31 mm of rainfall between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm on Friday, which is quite low to be categorised as a cloudburst.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed anguish over the tragedy.
Except Kerala, all the 28 other states have already uploaded the panel of doctors who would be issuing the medical certificate on the website of the Amarnath Pilgrimage Board (Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board).
The statement said that the Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board (SASB) has decided with a heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year's Amarnath Yatra and expressed its regret while announcing the cancellation of the same.
While the authorities were drafting contingency plans, discussing and re-drafting them, the common man in the Valley was making his plans to adjust to the administrative and security arrangements.
Lt Gen KJS Dhillon refused to give the exact location from where the recovery was made as the search operation was still going on.
For the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage in the Pahalgam area, the Jammu and Kashmir state government has spent a record $72 million on preparations.
Using the uphill trek of 14-km from Baltal allows the pilgrims 'darshan' inside the cave and return to the base camp the same day.