The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Anxiety, fear grip burns ward of hospital

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Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Anxiety, fear grip burns ward of hospital

Staff Reporter

3 persons battling for life with 90 p.c. burns

-Photo:G. Krishnaswamy

Anxious: Distraught relatives of those injured in an explosion at ECIL at the Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: There was an air of anxiety and fear at the burns ward of Yashoda Hospital in Secunderabad as the critically injured employees of ECIL at Kushaiguda were shifted there.

Distraught family members of the injured ran from one doctor to the other anxious to know the status of their beloved ones. There was initial confusion if it was a fire accident or explosion that left 12 ECIL employees injured inside its thermal battery making unit. It was later announced at a media conference at the hospital that an explosion resulted in burns to the twelve persons.

Mohan Kumar, Ravi Kumar and Sri Devi were battling for life with 90 per cent burns, while Laxmipathi, Manik Prabhu and Yogya Kumar suffered 70 per cent burns. Declaring that their condition was critical, doctors said the chances of recovery were more for Sita Kumari, who suffered 35 per cent burns.

“We were shocked when colleagues of my younger brother, Mohan Kumar, rang up to inform that he was severely injured in a blast,” Kumar’s sister Sri Laxmi Vani said. “I pray to God to save him,” she said and broke down when doctors said his condition was serious. Family members and relatives of Deputy General Manager Laxmipathi were equally traumatised. They made frantic calls to friends and his colleagues to know what exactly had happened. As no one could tell them how the explosion occurred, worried family members continued to ask doctors how long it would take for them to recover.

ECIL employees’ union vice-president Balakishan said that the incident occurred when flames erupted from a thermal battery unit.

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