A pilgrim approaching the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district was killed on Saturday after being struck by a falling stone, police said.

“The devotee, identified as Sampat Kumar Rao, aged 59, resident of Hyderabad died on the spot after being hit by a falling stone on the Mata Vaishno Devi track at around 9 a.m.,” a senior police officer told IANS here.

“The pilgrim was on way to the shrine with his family when the accident occurred,” the officer added.