The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 40 sustain burns on Deepavali

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 03, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

40 sustain burns on Deepavali

Staff Reporter

A girl bursts `atom bomb' inside a room and dies

SCARS OF CELEBRATION: Five-year-old Harshit being examined by an eye surgeon on Wednesday after he sustained burns during Deepavali celebrations in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: Over 40 persons, many of them children and bystanders, have sustained burns in Deepavali celebrations in the city and its outskirts. A girl died of burns in her house at Kamakshipalya.

A seven-year-old boy from Peenya sustained severe burns when a "flowerpot" firecracker that he lit exploded. He was admitted to a private hospital on Tuesday evening for treatment.

The boy was pulling away after lighting the "flowerpot" when it blew up on his face. "His injuries are serious and they will take a long time to heal," said a doctor at the hospital. The boy was referred to Narayana Nethralaya for eye treatment.

Eyeball ruptured

A seven-year-old boy from Annekal was admitted to Minto eye hospital on Wednesday afternoon as the cracker that he was lighting burst and ruptured his eyeball. "His condition is serious and we plan to operate on him on Thursday," said a doctor from the hospital.

D. Harshit, a five-year-old from Mathikere in Yeshwanthpur, sustained serious injury to his right eye on Monday night when a "flowerpot" that his neighbour lit exploded and a small stone hit his eye. The boy, who was admitted in Narayana Nethralaya, was operated upon on Tuesday to remove the foreign body from his eye.

On Tuesday, a 17-year-old girl who was watching her neighbour burst crackers was injured when a spark from a "flowerpot" hit her eye.

Pedestrian injured

A 38-year-old man, who was walking on the road, was injured when a "rocket" hit his eye and he developed a cataract. Both of them were treated at Narayana Nethralaya and released later in the evening.

Paediatric Ophthalmologist at Narayana Nethralya Arun Samprathi said a lot of bystanders get injured every diwali. He said persons riding two wheelers were especially vulnerable to firecracker-related injuries. "When they are riding, many of them cannot see that a cracker," he says. He suggests that people should not move around a lot during Diwali.

Since Monday, Narayana Nethralaya has treated 25 persons, including six on Wednesday. Victoria Hospital and Mahaveer Jain Hospital received two cases each on Tuesday. Minto Eye Hospital received three cases on Wednesday.

Dies of burns

A firecracker claimed the life of a nine-year-old girl in Kamakshipalya Police Station limits this afternoon.

Divya, who was said to be disturbed, attempted to burst an "atom bomb" inside her house in Kamakshipalya New Extension even as her mother and elder sister were busy with other work. Her father Nagaraj, running a factory at Bidadi, was away from home.

The police said the girl was bent upon bursting crackers since morning and her mother did not allow her to do so. When the girl's maternal uncle came to his sister's house for the festival, the mother went out of the room to serve him food.

Divya, who was alone, lit a firecracker with a matchstick resulting in the accident, the police said.

The firecracker directly hit her neck leaving the girl dead on the spot. Kamakshipalya police have registered a case and are investigating.

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