DEHRADUN: Consider this: 108 pilgrims dead in less than a month since the Char Dham yatra began on May 3 this year; 90 deaths recorded during the entire six-month period of the pilgrimage in 2019; 102 deaths in 2018 (whole season); 112 in 2017. The figure for 2020 and 2021 was significantly lower as the yatra was curtailed due to the pandemic. As a rattled health system and administration look for answers, the question everyone is asking is: what's killing so many pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines this year?
Around 12 lakh have been on the yatra so far in 2022. In comparison, 32 lakh pilgrims attended the pilgrimage in 2019 and 26 lakh in 2018.
