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.
