Chandigarh hospitals overwhelmed with firecracker injuries after Diwali
Diwali celebrations on October 20, 2024, led to a big surge in firecracker injuries across Chandigarh.
Hospitals like PGIMER, GMCH-32, and GMSH-16 handled over 300 cases, with emergency teams treating burns and eye trauma for people from Chandigarh and neighboring states.
Surge in eye injuries, especially among kids
At PGIMER's Advanced Eye Centre, half of the 26 eye injury patients were kids under 14.
Ten needed surgery, and four patients suffered up to 90% vision loss, and two had extremely severe injuries with minimal chances of visual recovery.
Most injuries were caused by bullet bombs, followed by sky shots. Strikingly, 11 of those hurt were just bystanders—not even lighting crackers—showing how risky celebrations can be for everyone nearby.
Hospitals on high alert amid rising cases
With injuries rising this year after earlier declines, hospitals had to activate extra emergency staff from October 20 to 22.
Doctors treated everything from minor burns to severe trauma, raising fresh concerns about firecracker safety during festivals.