8 injured in Kumbh Mela fire flown to Delhi

New Delhi/Lucknow, Jan 26 (IANS) Eight pilgrims, who were seriously injured during a fire at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, were Saturday flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to Delhi for treatment at Safdarjung Hospital, officials said.

The eight pilgrims, among the 19 injured in the fire in the mela area Friday, were in a serious condition. They were accompanied by eight attendants and a doctor, an IAF release said.

According to the IAF, the pilgrims were airlifted on a modified AN-32 ambulance transport aircraft following request from the Allahabad district administration.

An Uttar Pradesh official said those shifted to Delhi are: Shreyans (5), Bhumi (8), Sajal (9), Rama Devi (50), Rani Gupta (35), Mansi Jaiswal (60), Nitesh (20) and Baijnath (28).

“All those who sustained serious burns are out of danger and are speaking to their family members,” Doctor Suresh Dwivedi, medical in-charge at Kumbh Mela, told IANS.

The injured were admitted to the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Allahabad but since they sustained serious burns, they were sent to Delhi for “specialised treatment”, an official told IANS.

— Indo-Asian News Service

md/rah/vt

IANS 2013-01-26 22:32:04