54-year-old Amarnath pilgrim dies of cardiac arrest

A 54-year-old Amarnath pilgrim died of a cardiac arrest at the Baltal base camp in Ganderbal district, raising the death toll during the ongoing yatra to six, official sources said today.
    
Gopi Chand, a resident of Himachal Pradesh, died at the Baltal base camp, 100 km from here, late last night, the sources said.

Chand suffered a massive cardiac arrest and was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, they said.

Four pilgrims have so far passed away since the commencement of the annual two-month yatra on June 15. Two Muslim porters were also killed in a landslide near Rail Pathri on June 17.
    
Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 9,500 pilgrims left Baltal base camp for the shrine early today and nearly half of them had darshan of the naturally formed ice-shivlingam by this afternoon.
    
Over 70,000 pilgrims have visited the 3800-metre cave shrine since the commencement of the yatra.