Kerala fire: 500g of concrete pellets removed from body of victim

About 500 grams of concrete stones and pellets were removed from the body of a 35-year-old man who was injured when fireworks landed on a stockpile of crackers, triggering a huge blast at the Puttingal temple complex in Kollam.

About 500 grams of concrete stones and pellets were removed from the body of a 35-year-old man who was injured when fireworks landed on a stockpile of crackers, triggering a huge blast at the Puttingal temple complex in Kollam.

People stand next to debris after a fire broke out at a temple in Kollam, Kerala.(Reuters Photo)

The man underwent a life saving procedure at the KIMS where a team of doctors, led by Dr Mohammed Nazeer and Dr Madan Mohan, removed 500 grams of concrete stones and pellets from his body.

“The victim was brought to KIMS in a medical condition with injuries resembling a war field blast and was immediately taken up for surgery that lasted three hours,” doctors said.

A foreign body was identified inside the lungs of another victim who was brought to the hospital.

Men who were injured in a fire at the Puttingal Devi temple, rest in beds inside a hospital ward in Kollam. (Reuters Photo)

The patient, whose elbow was shattered, was taken for emergency surgery by Dr Shaji Palangadan and Dr Mohammed Nazeer.

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Through a successful surgical procedure, his life was saved and he is now out of danger.

A 22 year-old-man who had a severe head injury with brain damage from a concrete piece falling on his head also underwent a life-saving procedure at the hospital.

About 11 life-saving surgeries and 25 other procedures were performed from 6.30am to 11pm in three operation theatres at KIMS Trivandrum that were set aside for the management of Paravur victims, a press release said.

The two hospitals of the KIMS management in Trivandrum and Kollam were able to extend timely medical care to many of the injured brought in.

Dr MI Sahadulla, chairman and managing director of the group led a disaster management team from the early hours of Sunday.

The hospital’s disaster management team comprises of senior specialists, specially trained medical and nursing professionals.

A fire broke out at the 100-year-old temple during an unauthorised display of fireworks early on Sunday morning after a spark from a firecracker fell on the storehouse containing crackers and triggering explosions.

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