90 Char Dham pilgrims died in 2019; this yr, 108 in just 27 days

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; 112 in 2017.

- Shivani Azad

Dehradun: 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?

Most deaths this year have been attributed to cardiac arrests at the shrine towns, situated between 10,000ft and 12,000ft. However, doctors and experts looking for reasons behind this sharp jump said Covid or its lingering aftereffects could be a possible factor. A worried state government has announced a slew of advisories and steps to curb pilgrim numbers, but to no avail. Around 12 lakh have been on the yatra so far in 2022. In 2019, there were 32 lakh pilgrims and 26 lakh in 2018.

'95% of deaths, emergencies can be tied to Covid'