Amid tight security, the 16th batch of 2,148 pilgrims on Saturday left for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas from Jammu.

The batch, including 1,637 men, 357 women, and 10 children, left in a convoy of 65 vehicles from Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu at 4:10 am, police said.

The convoy has already crossed Kud on Jammu-Srinagar National highway and would reach their destinations at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps by Saturday evening, they added.

With Saturday’s batch, as many as 30,067 pilgrims have so far left from the Jammu base camp for the Amarnath shrine.