India has cancelled a historic Hindu pilgrimage to a holy cave high in the snow-capped mountains of occupied Kashmir for the first time, as cases of the novel coronavirus continued to rise, according to Reuters.

Organisers of the Amarnath Yatra, where saffron-clad Hindu ascetics walk 46 kilometres to the cave across glaciers and waterlogged trails, said a “very sharp” spike in coronavirus cases had forced the cancellation.

“The health concerns are so serious that the strain on the health system, along with the diversion in resources to the Yatra, will be immense,” said a statement by the organising committee.