ITBP officer posted on Amarnath yatra duty dies

Srinagar, Jun 22 (PTI) An Indo Tibetan Border Police officer posted on Amarnath yatra duty died at Sonamarg in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Thursday.

ASI Madan Raj, 58, fell unconscious near the Baltal base camp for the Amarnath yatra on Wednesday night, a police official said.

Raj, a native of Uttarakhand, was rushed to a hospital where he died during treatment, the official said.

Though the cause of his death was not known yet, death due to cardiac arrest — triggered by lower oxygen concentration at high altitudes — is one of the most common causes of fatalities among Amarnath pilgrims and security forces posted there for duty.

The 62-day yatra is scheduled to begin on July 1.