18 pilgrims dead in first week of Char Dham Yatra

DEHRADUN: Eighteen Char Dham pilgrims have died on way to the Himalayan temples since the start of the yatra on May 3. In most cases, the cause of death is suspected to be cardiac arrest.

In the latest incident, a 40-year-old man from Bengaluru died on Monday on the way to the Yamunotri temple, taking the number of devotees dying on the way to this Himalayan shrine itself to 10.

Considering the fact that the pilgrimage began just around a week ago, the number of deaths of pilgrims is unusually high. Mahadev Venkata Subramanian of Bengaluru was taken ill on the way to the temple on Monday. He was taken to a hospital in Jankichatti where doctors declared him dead. He died of a cardiac arrest, doctors at the hospital said.

A 58-year-old woman from Mumbai had also died on way to Yamunotri on Sunday. Five people have died on way to the Kedarnath temple which opened on May 6 and three en route the Gangotri temple.

Asked why so many deaths are occurring on way to Himalayan shrines, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj of Six Sigma Healthcare which is providing free medical facilities on Char Dham Yatra route said pilgrims are coming in large numbers to high altitudes without undergoing acclimatisation before undertaking the journey.

“They are coming directly from low altitudes to places situated at 10,000-12,000 ft. How can they cope with such an abrupt climatic change? No medical check-up of pilgrims is being done this time before the start of the journey,” Bhardwaj said. “Compulsory health check of pilgrims is a must. Only those who are medically fit to undertake the high-altitude journey should be allowed to go ahead. We are ready to provide a health check facility for pilgrims. We have specialist doctors with us who can do it, he said.

Though the state government had put a daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the four Himalayan temples also known as Char Dham, it was opposed by priests prompting Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to say there was no daily cap on the number of pilgrims.

This has led to an unusual rush of pilgrims.

An official in Uttarkashi said the number of deaths is higher this time also because a larger number of pilgrims are coming for the yatra this time with no Covid-induced restrictions in place