Char Dham Yatra: Why Are Pilgrims Dying?

Tragically, the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand has seen at least 38 pilgrim deaths due to health reasons, raising concerns about pilgrim safety and preparedness.

Photograph: ANI Photo

Key Points

38 pilgrims have died during the first 26 days of the Char Dham Yatra due to health-related issues.
Kedarnath has recorded the highest number of fatalities among the Char Dham Yatra sites.
Health issues, including altitude-related illness and cardiac arrest, are the primary causes of death among pilgrims.
Over 11.81 lakh pilgrims have visited the Char Dham shrines, with Kedarnath receiving the highest footfall.
Registrations for the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra have exceeded 33.96 lakh.

At least 38 pilgrims have died due to health-related reasons in the first 26 days of the ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand, officials said on Thursday.

Char Dham Yatra Commences

The pilgrimage commenced on April 19 with opening of the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines. The Kedarnath and Badrinath temples opened its gates for devotees on April 22 and 23, respectively.

Kedarnath Records Highest Fatalities

Kedarnath recorded the highest fatalities with 21 deaths, a State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) report said. Badrinath reported seven deaths, while Gangotri and Yamunotri recorded five casualties each.

Health Reasons Behind Pilgrim Deaths

These deaths were caused due to various health reasons, including altitude-related illness and cardiac arrest, officials said.

Pilgrim Footfall at Char Dham Shrines

Over 11.81 lakh pilgrims visited the shrines by Wednesday evening. Kedarnath recorded the highest footfall of 4.91 lakh devotees, while over 3.02 lakh visited Badrinath. Yamunotri and Gangotri recorded 1.94 lakh and 1.92 lakh visitors, respectively.

Registrations for the Yatra

Registrations for the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra has crossed 33.96 lakh mark. Kedarnath saw the maximum 11.68 lakh registrations, followed by 10.19 lakh for Badrinath. Gangotri and Yamunotri saw 5.90 lakh and 5.69 lakh registrations, respectively. Hemkund Sahib recorded 0.48 lakh enrolments.

The state has recorded 89,727 registrations for May 14 and 91,267 for May 15.

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