DEHRADUN: A total of 311
pilgrim deaths
have been reported during the
Char Dham yatra
this year so far, according to data from Uttarakhand health department. So far this year, the highest number of deaths is reported from
Kedarnath
(135), followed by Yamunotri (80),
Badrinath
(75) and Gangotri (21). "Almost 80% of the deaths are related to medical issues, mainly cardiac arrests, and 20% due to accidents.
We have 32
accident-related deaths in Yamunotri
alone, while 48 are health-related," said Dr Vinod Kukreti, CMO, Uttarkashi.
Yatra was put on hold after 2013, didn’t see much footfall until 2015.
This year’s toll is the highest on the yatra route since the
2013 Kedarnath tragedy
, in which the official death toll was around 5,000. The yatra was put on hold after 2013 and did not see a lot of footfall until 2015. It was only after 2016 that health authorities started maintaining data on deaths during the pilgrimage. In 2017, the yatra witnessed 112 deaths, while this number was 106 and 91 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
The yatra in 2020 and 2021 was a curtailed affair due to the
Covid-19 pandemic
. Pilgrims undertaking the yatra at shrines nestled above 10,000 ft do not have to necessarily present a health certificate. This remains a huge cause for concern for doctors. “This system of seeking health certificate has been implemented for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the Amarnath Yatra.
The Uttarakhand government should also consider such a policy,” said a senior doctor, requesting anonymity. Random health checks are being conducted at these shrines. “We ensure that health checkups are done. Those not willing to stay back despite health concerns need to give their consent to take the yatra at their own risk,” said Dr HS Martoliya, CMO of Rudraprayag. The portals of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will close this month, while that of Badrinath will be shut on November 19.
Till now, around 40.4 lakh pilgrims have visited these shrines, according to the state government. The latest data indicates that over 29 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath and Badrinath, while over 10 lakh pilgrims visited Gangotri and Yamunotri. Meanwhile, the holy shrine of the Sikh, Hemkund Sahib, nestled at 14,000 ft in Chamoli district, has seen record footfall of more than 2.25 lakh pilgrims.
