Rudraprayag, May 5 -- A 24-hour ban has been enforced on the usage of horses and mules in the Kedarnath Yatra, an official said on Monday.

The administration took the following reported deaths of some horses and mules here.

"Yesterday, eight horses and mules died, while today, six of them died. We wanted to ascertain the reason behind it. Tomorrow, a team from the Centre will also come to check the reason for deaths..." said BVRC Purushottam, Secretary, Animal Husbandry (Uttarakhand).

Meanwhile, on May 1, helicopter services commenced for the Kedarnath Yatra. The services commenced from Sonprayag in Uttarakhand to offer a convenient travel option for the pilgrims, as per officials.

Pawan Rana, a helicopter operator, said, "Online tick...