Hubballi, Dec 31 (IANS): The death toll in the cylinder blast tragedy in Karnataka's Hubballi rose to eight as another victim succumbed to burn injuries on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been identified as 42-year-old Prakash Barakera, a resident of Unakal in Hubballi.
Treatment was ongoing for another young Ayyappa devotee, Vinayaka, at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi. The seventh victim, 27-year-old Tejeshwar Saatare, a resident of Ramanagar, succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.
Prakash Barakera’s inconsolable two sisters stated that God had betrayed them by taking away their brother, who was like a father figure to them. “He had been going on the Sabarimala pilgrimage for 15 years. We spoke to him early in the morning, and we thought he would come back home. But by 6 a.m., he was gone,” they said.
A total of nine persons, all Ayyappa devotees, preparing for the Sabarimala pilgrimage, suffered severe burn injuries in the cylinder blast incident that occurred in Achchavva Colony in Hubballi.
The other deceased individuals are Ajjasamy, also known as Nijalingappa Bepari (58), Sanjay Savadatti (19), Lingaraj Biranura (20), Raju Mogeri (16), Shankar Urbi (30), and Manjunath Wagmode (18). Among the eight deceased, five were the only children of their parents.
Hubballi KIMS Director Dr S.F. Kammar stated that the victims were admitted to the hospital in the early hours of last Monday. From the beginning, their condition was critical as they had suffered more than 80 per cent burn injuries.
“In spite of this, we formed a dedicated team and provided medical, paramedical, and nursing care. We also consulted experts from different parts of the state and the country. Despite our efforts, two victims succumbed in the last 24 hours. Another boy, who sustained 24 per cent burns, is recovering well. We expect to discharge him within one or two days. He is responding to treatment and doing extremely well,” Dr Kammar stated.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs 5 lac to the families of the deceased.