NEW DELHI: More than 170 Diwali-related burn injury cases were reported at Safdarjung Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) over two days, with firecrackers accounting for the majority of the injuries. Children also figured prominently among those injured, with the youngest patient treated at AIIMS being five years old.
Safdarjung Hospital recorded 135 Diwali-related burn injury cases at its Burns Emergency between November 7 and 8. Of these, 129 were caused by firecrackers, while six were related to diya burns. Among those injured, 35 children sustained firecracker-related injuries and were treated in the outpatient department, while one child required hospitalization.
At AIIMS, 42 cases had been reported by 11 am on November 9. Of these, 37 were firecracker-related injuries and two were potash burns. Eighteen of the patients were below 18 years of age, including six children under 10 and 12 in the 10-18 age group.
Eleven of the 42 cases were classified as major injuries, with four patients admitted to the intensive care unit and seven in the ward. While 31 cases were minor, eight patients required admission, including one in critical condition. Five patients have undergone surgery.
An eight-year-old patient was among the critically injured, having sustained burns over 45 per cent of the body surface area.
Hospitals had made arrangements to handle the anticipated post-Diwali surge in burn cases. Safdarjung had earmarked 20 beds for such patients, of whom seven remain admitted. AIIMS currently has eight patients hospitalized.
The figures are higher than last year’s numbers at Safdarjung, which recorded 129 burn injuries, including 108 caused by firecrackers and 11 by oil lamps, among other causes. AIIMS had reported 60 cases in 2025, of which 48 were firecracker-related. Its youngest patient last year was a four-month-old infant.