Delhi hospitals report 397 burn and firecracker injury cases during Diwali

New Delhi: Four major hospitals in Delhi treated a combined 397 patients for burn and other festival-related injuries during Diwali, with several cases involving firecrackers and some requiring hospitalisation and surgery, according to data released on Monday.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) reported 42 burn injury cases, including 11 major injuries. Four patients required intensive care, five underwent surgery and eight remained hospitalised, with one in critical condition. The youngest patient was five years old, while an eight-year-old child with 45 per cent burns was among the serious cases.

Safdarjung Hospital recorded 142 patients, including 135 with minor burns and seven with major injuries requiring admission. Most of the minor cases were linked to firecrackers.

Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital treated 41 patients, of whom 18 sustained firecracker-related injuries. Eight required hospitalisation, while the remaining patients were discharged.

Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital reported 172 Diwali-related injury cases, including 34 eye injuries. All patients were discharged following treatment, with no deaths or admissions reported.

Separately, AIIMS' Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences received nearly 110 patients with eye injuries. Eighteen suffered corneal perforations or lacerations and required surgery, while 72 were treated for injuries that did not threaten their vision.

Hospitals had deployed additional medical teams and emergency facilities to handle the festival-related caseload.