One child dies, 269 treated for firecracker burns in Tamil Nadu over Deepavali

One child died of burn injuries and 269 people were treated for burns from firecrackers across Tamil Nadu during Deepavali, according to official figures for the 24 hours from 7 a.m. on 7 November to 7 a.m. on 8 November.

No adult died of burns in that period, the figures show. Of those treated for burns, 159 were seen as outpatients and 110 were admitted to hospital.

Injuries across the State

Hospitals admitted 1,387 people for injuries of all kinds in the 24 hours: 956 after accidents, 321 with minor injuries or after assaults, and 110 with burns. The Government Medical College Hospital in Thanjavur saw the largest number of patients for burns, accidents and minor injuries.

To handle the festival rush, 1,283 ambulances were on duty across the State. The 108 emergency call centre received 16,079 calls in the 24 hours, 98 of them about burns.

The figures do not give the child’s age or where the death occurred.

The background

The State government had put hospitals and the 108 ambulance network on alert before the festival, and the Health Minister inspected the burns facilities at the Kilpauk Government Medical College Hospital in Chennai. Deepavali brings a sharp rise in emergency calls every year, mostly from road accidents and firecracker burns.

In an emergency

• Dial 108 for an ambulance, free across Tamil Nadu.
• Take anyone with a burn to the nearest government hospital; government medical college hospitals have burns wards.