Summary:
JAMMU: At least 25,000 pilgrims to Vaishno Devi shrine were stranded at Katra in Jammu's Reasi district after a massive forest fire broke out in Trikuta hills.Authorities have suspended the pilgrimage from one of the two tracks that lead to the hill shrine. An official of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine board (SMVDSB) said that the new "battery car track" route was cordoned off and rescue operations started to evacuate stranded pilgrims.Visitors, however, can still use the old track to visit the shrine..