Festival of lights turns grim for many as firecracker injuries surge across Bengaluru hospitals

Bengaluru The festival of lights turned grim for several people in Bengaluru, with over 200 suffering firecracker-related injuries during Deepavali, including many facing the risk of partial or severe vision loss. Children, including toddlers as young as two and three years old, and elderly people aged up to 70 were among those affected. A significant proportion of the victims were bystanders who were not even bursting crackers.

Two suffer critical burns The dangers were not limited to eye injuries. At the Mahabodhi Burns Centre in the State-run Victoria Hospital, seven patients were admitted with significant firecracker-related burn injuries. Two of them, a 27-year-old pregnant woman who suffered 33% deep burns, including a blast injury to her leg, and an eight-year-old boy who sustained 20% deep burns after a petrol-filled bottle caught fire and was thrown during a firecracker-related incident, are critical.

Both are undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while the remaining five patients are stable and receiving treatment in the High Dependency Unit (HDU).