Rescue and medical response teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) are operating round-the-clock at Kedarnath Dham in Uttarakhand as the Char Dham Yatra 2025 records an extraordinary surge in pilgrim footfall. The intensified deployment follows a sharp rise in medical emergencies among devotees navigating the high-altitude Himalayan terrain.

Two Pilgrims Airlifted on Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, two ailing pilgrims were evacuated from Vivekananda Hospital to the Kedarnath helipad through coordinated rescue operations before being airlifted to higher medical centres for advanced care.

In the first case, Arvind Kumar, a 66-year-old resident of Gaya, Bihar, was transported to the helipad at around 8:05 am by a joint SDRF-DDRF-NDRF team after he reported a fracture in his left arm. He was subsequently referred to a higher medical facility via helicopter.

In the second incident, Lalita, a 70-year-old resident of Latur, Maharashtra, was shifted to the helipad at around 9:10 am after reportedly experiencing rapid heartbeat, breathing difficulty, and fever. Rescue teams coordinated swiftly with the district administration to arrange her airlift to a specialised medical centre.

Scale of Deployment at Kedarnath

Officials stated that emergency response personnel remain deployed throughout the Kedarnath pilgrimage season to handle medical crises and provide immediate assistance to devotees on the demanding mountain route. Authorities have reportedly scaled up arrangements this year in direct response to the unprecedented influx of pilgrims across all four Char Dham shrines.

Badrinath Breaks Six-Year Footfall Record

The surge is not confined to Kedarnath. Badrinath Dham has recorded more than 5.56 lakh devotees within just one month of the temple gates opening — surpassing the previous benchmark of nearly 5.50 lakh set in 2019. In comparison, approximately 4.50 lakh pilgrims had visited Badrinath during the same period in 2023.

The pace of arrivals underscores the scale of the rush: over 60,000 devotees visited Badrinath in the last two days alone, with around 33,000 pilgrims arriving on Friday and more than 32,000 on Saturday, according to officials.

What Is the Char Dham Yatra

The Char Dham Yatra is among the most sacred pilgrimages in Hinduism, encompassing four revered Himalayan shrines — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath — all situated in the mountainous terrain of Uttarakhand. According to Hindu tradition, Yamunotri is dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, Gangotri to Goddess Ganga, Kedarnath to Lord Shiva, and Badrinath to Lord Vishnu.

What Comes Next

With the yatra season still ongoing and footfall continuing to climb, authorities are expected to maintain — and potentially further strengthen — emergency response capacity at all four shrines. The record numbers at Badrinath signal that Kedarnath and other sites may face comparable pressure in the weeks ahead.