Srinagar, July 16 (TIWN) Over 1.64 lakh yatris have so far performed the ongoing Amarnath yatra as another batch of 5,838 pilgrims left Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday for the Valley.

Officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said that since the commencement of yatra on June 30, as many as 1,64,024 people have completed it which included 12,000 who paid obeisance at the cave shrine on Friday.  In addition to 16 pilgrims killed by flash floods on July 8, a total of 28 others have died of natural causes.  Almost all the 28 pilgrims who died of natural causes have died of high altitude sickness.