Two people, including a 10-year-old boy, died of burn injuries in Tamil Nadu during the 48-hour Diwali period, while the state’s EMRI 108 ambulance service received 39,634 calls, according to the health department data reported by Times of India.
The figures cover the period from 7am on November 7 to 7am on November 9. The ambulance service deployed 1,283 ambulances during this period. Of the total calls, 6,317 were related to trauma, 1,627 to assault injuries and 462 to burns.
Government hospitals admitted 4,098 patients during the period. The admissions included 2,541 patients with trauma injuries, 1,127 with assault injuries and 430 with burns. A further 1,322 burn patients were treated as outpatients, indicating that the emergency response extended beyond hospital admissions to a larger group requiring medical attention.
One of the fatalities was a man among seven people injured in a fire at a cracker shop near Panruti in Cuddalore district. Four people who suffered severe burns were brought to Chennai for treatment, where the man later died, the report said.
The second death involved a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a cylinder explosion at his home near Villupuram on November 7. His parents were seriously injured and remain under treatment, according to the report.
Children under 15 accounted for 99 of the burn cases admitted to government hospitals, nearly a quarter of the total burn inpatients. Men accounted for 299 burn inpatients and women for 32, according to the figures cited from the state health department.
The patient load was distributed across hospitals in several districts. The Government Medical College Hospital in Thanjavur recorded the highest number, with 237 burn inpatients and 60 outpatients. Madurai reported 206 inpatients, followed by Chengalpattu with 185. The Government Hospital in Periyar Nagar recorded 138 inpatients, while Thoothukudi reported 91.
The data shows how a short period of festival-related emergencies can place simultaneous pressure on ambulance networks and government hospitals across districts. It also shows the role of referral hospitals, particularly in Chennai, when patients suffer severe burns outside the state capital. The health department figures cover the specified 48-hour period, and the report did not provide a separate comparison with previous Diwali periods.
The EMRI 108 service and government hospitals handled the reported emergency demand during the period. The health department data also records the continuing treatment of the injured patients, including the parents of the boy killed near Villupuram.
