Mumbai hospitals struggle to cope with blast victims

MUMBAI: Chaos reigned at various hospitals here with over 80 injured people being rushed for treatment after serial bomb blasts rocked the metropolis this evening.

Most of those wounded were taken to JJ, St George, GT, KEM and Harkishandas hospitals as the medical staff scrambled to tackle the sudden medical emergency.

Several of them were referred from one hospital to another after they failed to secure a place due to large number of victims pouring in from the blast sites at Dadar, Zaveri Bazaar and Opera House.

People queued up at hospitals to verify whether their friends or relatives were among the injured, while some were seen donating blood and helping hospital authorities.

At state-run J J Hospital, 17 injured were admitted of which one died during treatment. At Harkishandas Hospital, 29 persons, injured at the blast at Opera House, were brought, sources said.

"Two bodies were also brought to Harkishandas. Of the 29 injured, six have suffered serious wounds. Some of the victims were moved to Nair and Saifee hospitals for further treatment," Jayant Patil, Mumbai City's Guardian Minister, told reporters.

At St Georges Hospital, nine persons were admitted of which one is said to be in a serious condition. One of the injured, identified as Lalchand Ahuja (45), later died. Some of the injured were identified as Pradeep Jano, Ashok Patil, Nikhil Tanka and Sundar Singh, hospital officials said.

"All the injured have suffered severe burns and their body parts have been crushed," Pravin Shingare, Co-Director of St George Hospital, said.