DEHRADUN: Since the start of the ongoing Char Dham yatra on May 3, at least 216 pilgrim deaths have been reported from the four Himalayan shrines of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. These deaths have been attributed to various health issues, primarily cardiac arrests, by the state government. The highest, 105 deaths, have been reported from Kedarnath, followed by 52 from Badrinath, 43 in Yamunotri and 13 in Gangotri.
"At Kedarnath, a majority of the victim pilgrims were from Maharashtra and Gujarat. They died due to the extreme weather conditions. Our analysis reveals that 97 deaths took place due to cardiac arrest, seven were accident-related and one person died due to ulcerative colitis (bowel disease)," said Dr BK Shukla, chief medical officer, Kedarnath-Rudraprayag.
According to the data shared by the state on Thursday, 27.68 lakh pilgrims have visited the four Char Dham temples so far. Badrinath shrine which opened on May 8, has witnessed the highest footfall with 9,57,783 pilgrims, followed by Kedarnath which opened on May 6, hosting 8,78,276. Gangotri saw 4,48,003 pilgrims and Yamunotri 3,42,803. Both these shrines situated in Uttarkashi district opened on May 3. In Hemkund Sahib, which 1,32,039 people visited this year so far, three people have died since the gurdwara's opening on May 22. Gaumukh, situated further ahead of Gangotri, hosted 8,292 people. No deaths were reported on this route so far.
The pilgrimage has turned deadly for those suffering from underlying diseases like BP and diabetes. In most of the cases, the pilgrims couldn't make it to any health facility. They either succumbed at the hotel, on the way or at parking lots, as per health officials who are closely monitoring the situation.
Sharing the age groups of those who succumbed to the difficult terrain and harsh climatic conditions, Dr Shukla added, "Of the pilgrim deaths, 51 were in the age group of 61-70 years, 25 deaths were between 51 and 60 years, 13 over 70 years, five between age group 31 and 40 and three persons were over 30 years."
Chief medical officer, Chamoli, Dr SP Kudiyal added, "At Badrinath, most of the people died due to high altitude sickness leading to cardiac arrest. Just like Kedarnath, most deaths here were reported of people belonging to states like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan."
