Most of the over 90 deaths among the Amarnath pilgrims during the annual yatra this year have occurred due to pulmonary oedema, an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling and cardiac arrests, or hypothermia, a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions and leads to shivering and mental confusion.
Both these medical emergencies with the deceased took place during their ascent to more than 10,000 feet above the sea level over a very short period of time and proved fatal, a report submitted to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) by two senior doctors deployed in the yatra area has said.
Also, some of the pilgrims who are dead now were already suffering from serious ailments and were unfit for high altitude travel. Yet, they had been able to secure mandatory medical certificates from registered medical practitioners (RMPs) outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Hundreds of Amarnath pilgrims examined by doctors were found to be suffering from shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, bright red stained sputum, weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, chest tightness, congestion and increased heart rate. “Many pilgrims were suffering from serious cardio pulmonary ailments, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension; hence were not fit for high-altitude travel. But they were given clearance for high altitude travel by the RMPs from outside the state,” the report says.
The report further says that vast majority of the pilgrims in spite of the fact of their coming from the low altitude areas they without acclimatising at the base-camps or other suitable places for at least 48 hours chose to immediately embark on journey through rugged hills in the high altitude area.