As many as 679 people sustained injuries in firecracker-related accidents across Tamil Nadu during Deepavali celebrations on Sunday, with 110 victims still undergoing treatment in hospitals, according to figures released by the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department on Monday.

Source: IANS

Of the total injured, 569 people were treated at hospitals and discharged — 329 men, 42 women and 198 children. The 110 people still under treatment include 86 men, nine women and 15 children, officials said. The department has not provided details of the severity of the injuries of those still hospitalised.

The department's control room received 91 emergency calls between Sunday morning and 9 p.m. — 54 directly related to firecracker accidents and 37 concerning other fire incidents. Fire and rescue personnel remained on alert through the festival, and hospitals had made arrangements for immediate treatment of burn and other injuries, IANS reported.

Ambulance service records 462 burn cases, two deaths over 48 hours

A separate official count from the 108 emergency ambulance service, reported by ANI, recorded 462 burn-related cases between 7 a.m. on November 7 and 7 a.m. on November 9, out of 39,634 calls received in that 48-hour period. It said 430 burn patients were admitted as inpatients and two deaths were reported due to burn injuries — one man and one child below 15; no female deaths were reported. The two agencies count different windows and categories, so their totals differ.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse

IANS noted that Deepavali was celebrated with considerable enthusiasm across the state despite widespread rainfall in several parts, and that the injuries have once again drawn attention to public-safety concerns around firecrackers during large-scale celebrations involving children and families. No victim has been named in the official figures.