Mumbai pilgrim dies after falling ill in Kedarnath

A pilgrim from Mumbai in his fifties who complained of breathlessness in Kedarnath died on Tuesday, with his family holding the heli service provider firm responsible for his death, claiming that it delayed his transportation to the hospital from the Himalayan shrine. A probe has been ordered into the incident, Rudraprayag District Magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal said.

Vinod Vyas (52), a resident of Goregaon in Mumbai West, complained of breathlessness at the temple in Kedarnath. He was rushed to a health camp nearby from where he was referred to a higher centre in Guptkashi but died before he could reach the hospital, the DM said. Family members of the man alleged that despite the DM's order for his immediate transportation to the higher centre, the help service provider delayed it.

They accused the aviation firm of ignoring their repeated requests as the patient lay on the stretcher for half an hour. It is only after police intervened that he was transported to Guptkashi but by the time he could reach the hospital, it was too late, they claimed. An inquiry has been ordered into the circumstances that led to the man's death, the Rudraprayag DM said.