Chardham Yatra: 46 pilgrims died of heart attack so far, death toll rises to 48

As many as 48 pilgrims have died en route since the commencement of Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand, out of which 46 people lost their lives due to cardiac arrest.

At least 48 pilgrims have lost their lives en route to the Char Dham shrines since the start of the yatra on May 3 in Uttarakhand. The officials said out of 48 deaths, 46 people have died due to heart attacks and other cardiac-related issues.

High blood pressure, heart attack, mountain sickness have been listed as the reasons for the demise of the Chardham Yatra pilgrims, the officials said.

On Friday, the Uttarakhand government reduced the period of offline registration for Char Dham Yatra from one month to one week, reported news agency ANI. The state tourism secretary said the registration is being done at 20 places on the travel routes.

The Uttarakhand government had earlier issued an advisory for the pilgrims and asked them to get themselves medically examined before they start the arduous trek to the Himalayan temples due to an unusual rush of pilgrims coming to Char Dham yatra this year.

Uttarakhand Director-General Health Dr Shailja Bhatt had said that health check-ups of the pilgrims are being done at various places on the travel routes besides Rishikesh.

In the wake of the rising deaths of pilgrims, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had appealed to devotees to embark on the pilgrimage only after consulting their doctors. The CM had advised people not to commence their journey if there are no proper arrangements for food and water as the Char Dham pilgrimage sites have limited resources.

Dhami had said, "Pilgrims who are not perfectly fit should not set out on the pilgrimage without a doctor's permission. They should mandatorily register themselves before commencing their journey."