Mussoorie, June 6 -- A total of 153 pilgrim fatalities have been recorded in the first 47 days of the ongoing Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand which started on April 19, as compared to 127 deaths in the first 47 days of the yatra last year. According to the latest official data, of the 153 total deaths (April 19 - June 5), 147 casualties resulted from deteriorating health or sudden medical emergencies. One death was registered under "other reasons,' and another single death was officially linked to a natural disaster. The high-altitude shrine of Kedarnath continued to record the highest casualty rate of the pilgrimage season, with 75 total deaths. The steep trek and low oxygen levels contributed to 73 health-related fatalities. A natural disaster incident caused one death, while no deaths were recorded from other accidental reasons. Badrinath Dham reported the second-highest mortality count, with 44 total deaths, 41 of which resulted from health issues and sudden medical emergencies. Yamunotri shrine registered a total of 19 fatalities. Of these, 18 pilgrims lost their lives due to severe health conditions and sudden cardiac events aggravated by the strenuous trek, while the shrine recorded only one death under "other reasons". Meanwhile, Gangotri shrine and Gaumukh route recorded 15 total deaths, all solely attributed to health complications and medical vulnerabilities. The high-altitude pilgrimage site of Hemkund Sahib, monitored concurrently under the yatra report, has registered zero fatalities across all health and accidental categories during this reporting interval. In the same 47-day period last year (April 30 - June 16), Char Dham yatra reported 127 total deaths. This year, there has been a 20.4% increase in total pilgrim mortality, increasing from 127 to 153 in the first 47 days of yatra. This spike is primarily driven by health-related fatalities, which surged from 108 cases last year to 147 cases in 2026. On a shrine-to-shrine basis, Kedarnath Dham saw its total death count jump from 60 in 2025 to 75 in 2026, with health fatalities rising from 50 to 73. Similarly, Badrinath Dham experienced an upward trend as total casualties rose from 29 last year to 44 this year, even as health-related fatalities rose from 28 to 41. Yamunotri Dham also saw a marginal increase in deaths, rising from 17 to 19. In contrast, Gangotri Dham was the only shrine to see a decline in fatalities, dropping from 20 deaths last year to 15 this year so far. State health minister Subodh Uniyal said, "Over 180 doctors were imparted training at Dehradun and Srinagar Medical colleges to assist the pilgrims during the yatra season, while standard operating procedure (SOP) is in place, and the medical facilities have been improved and are being upgraded continuously to reduce the number of deaths on yatra routes." "We are also working on opening Trauma centers in Uttarkashi on Gangotri Highway, near Barkot on Yamunotri Highway, In Srinagar and Kaudiyala on Badrinath and Kedarnath yatra routes, for any exigencies, helicopter ambulance service is also being provided to pilgrims through district administration in case of any emergency to the pilgrims," he added. He said the medical screening of elderly pilgrim is being done regularly and the medical staff constantly advises the pilgrims in critical conditions to not undertake the journey due to health reasons, but pilgrims are adamant about completing their journey, citing it as a question of faith. "Some pilgrims also hide their illness, making it difficult for the medical teams deployed on the yatra routes to screen such people", Uniyal said....