Shimla, Aug. 25 -- Three pilgrims from Punjab died while en route to Manimahesh in Himachal Pradesh's Chamba district, allegedly due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen), officials said on Monday.

The yatra was temporarily suspended following rains and landslides. The deceased have been identified as Aman (18) and Rohit (18) of Pathankot, and Anmol (26) of Gurdaspur. The bodies are being brought to Bharmour for post-mortem, after which they will be handed over to their families, said Bharmour additional district magistrate Kulbir Singh Rana. The annual Manimahesh yatra, which began on August 16 and is scheduled to conclude on August 31, was temporarily suspended following rains and landslides.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has condoled t...