Mumbai blasts death toll mounts to 26

It was a long and painful battle for life. On the morning of the 17th day, Chandrakant Vankar breathed his last. Injured in the blast at Mumbai's Opera House on July 13, he died on Saturday, becoming the 26th fatality of the terror attack.

A seriously injured Mr. Vankar, 42, was admitted to the Harkishandas Hospital's intensive care unit on July 13. “He was critical from the day he was admitted and was put on life support. He suffered major head trauma and had to undergo brain surgery. The legs were injured as well. His condition kept deteriorating by the day. It's surprising he could pull on for so long,” the hospital sources told The Hindu .

Mr. Vankar is survived by his wife, two small children, two brothers and parents. His co-worker Dinesh Dhavale, who himself was hurt in the blast and continues to be in hospital, told

The Hindu over telephone: “He was a diamond dealer.

On the day of the incident, he was waiting at Opera House for a consignment of diamonds. I was standing about eight feet away when the blast went off.”