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National

A replay of horror and pain

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

Anxious wait for relatives outside AIIMS Trauma Centre

— Photos: S. Subramanium, R.V. Moorthy

One of the Mehrauli bomb blast victims being brought to the trauma care centre of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Saturday. At right is the Mehrauli market place.

NEW DELHI: It was a replay of the September 13 horror and pain in the Capital. Anxious relatives of those injured in Saturday’s bomb blast in the Mehrauli flower market gathered outside the Trauma Centre of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences for information about their kin.

The Trauma Centre admitted the bulk of the patients injured in the blast.

“Nine-year-old Santosh was brought dead to the hospital. We have 15 patients under our care, of whom 10 are critical. Five have already been operated upon,” said Trauma Centre Medical Superintendent M. C. Misra.

“We have not been able to ascertain the identity of four persons and they have been listed as unknown for now. All the patients who have come to us have sharp splinter injuries in the abdomen, head, chest and spine. Their condition is being monitored closely.”

Two of the injured are being treated in a private hospital in the city, while another is undergoing treatment in the Safdarjung Hospital.

No shortage of blood

Dr. Misra said the hospital was not facing shortage of blood. “We appeal to the general public not to come in large numbers to donate blood, but to leave their phone numbers with the hospital and be prepared to donate blood when called to do so.”

Among the several people waiting outside the Trauma Centre, Anjali Rao said: “I am here looking for my nephews Raju and Monty who had recently come here from Punjab. They went to the market to buy flowers. I heard about the blast and when the two failed to show up even an hour after the blast we were worried. We are now looking for them in various city hospitals.”

Attendants of other patients admitted to the AIIMS were not allowed to meet their relatives owing to heavy security.

“It is the common man who suffers every time. We can’t understand what danger we can pose to politicians who have come here to meet the blast victims. We have waited all day to see our relatives and because of the security needs of the political leaders we are not being allowed inside,” complained Raman Prasad, whose wife is undergoing treatment at the Trauma Centre.

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