The Hindu : Front Page : Pushed into darkness of uncertainty and fear

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Pushed into darkness of uncertainty and fear

Sushanta talukdar

Guwahati: Six-year-old Moromi Sarma was too shocked to speak any word. The girl with severe burn injuries could not make out where she was, as doctors and nurses attending on her at the surgical ward of the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital were trying to help her overcome the trauma. At least they wanted her to say her name or something about her family so that they could contact them.

A passer-by who carried the girl to the casualty department of the hospital said the girl was separated from her father by the powerful blast at Ganeshguri on Thursday morning while the duo were about to board a bus to go back home from school.

The hospital was a mess as blast victims and their attendants streamed in. Hundreds of children and women were among the victims of the serial blasts in the city. The blasts took away from them all the joys of Diwali celebrated during the past two days. The blasts pushed the capital into darkness of uncertainty and fear.

Every time the doctors and nurses heard the shrill sound of sirens blown by ambulances they became ready to attend more and more patients with critical injuries.

Timely treatment

They swung into action trying to save the lives of innocent victims. Hospital staff whirred stretchers quickly to the casualty department to ensure timely treatment.

The entire casualty ward was splattered with blood. The hospital ran short of blood in its blood banks. However, people who reached there to enquire if the injured included any of their near or dear ones donated blood and helped the hospital authorities every way.

Most of the injured had the same story to tell — that they had heard a deafening sound and mistook it to be somebody bursting left-over crackers of Diwali only to realise that it was a powerful blast that made them immobile.

Traumatised

The horrific scene of bodies lying and severed limbs strewn all over the blast sites left many of the injured victims traumatised.

They were not in a state to narrate what happened. It was the same gory sight at the other hospitals of the city too.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page