21 March,2011 06:56 AM IST | | Priyanka Vora
Vinit Jadhav (15), Prashant Gurav (18) and Ganesh Mhatre (27) drowned near three city beaches while taking a dip after playing with colours
THE practice of taking a dip in the sea after playing Holi cost three Mumbaikars their lives yesterday.
Several Holi revellers take a plunge at Girgaum Chowpatty after celebrating the festival of colour
Vinit Jadhav (15), Prashant Gurav (18) and Ganesh Mhatre (27) drowned near three city beaches while taking a bath after playing with colours.u00a0
Cuffe Parade
The Jadhav family in Cuffe Parade may never celebrate Holi again after 15-year-old Vinit Jadhav drowned while taking a dip in the sea.
A doctor from St George Hospital said, "Jadhav's body was recovered and he was brought to our hospital but he was declared brought dead.
His parents were in deep shock as he was their only son. His mother even fainted and we had to resuscitate her."
A case of accidental death was registered at the Cuffe Parade police station.
Khar Danda
27-year-old Ganesh Dhanaji Mhatre, a resident of Shastri Nagar in Santacruz, went for a swim near Khar-Danda beach after playing Holi with a group of friends.
His body was recovered by lifeguards and he was taken to Bhabha Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
The postmortem conducted on Mhatre revealed that he was he was not under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicants.
A case of accidental death was registered at the Khar police station.
One of Mhatre's friends, 20-year-old Pintu Tupi was also rushed to Bhabha Hospital after he nearly drowned.
"It is a case of near-drowning and he is in the Intensive Care Unit.
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Our doctors are giving him the best-possible treatment," said the hospital's Medical Superintended, Dr Sulbha Chirmule.
Aksa Beach
Prashant Gurav (18), a student of Nirmal College in Malad, had gone to Aksa Beach to play Holi with 10 friends.
"After playing with colours, we decided to go for a swim.
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The waves started pulling us in and we were all drowning. The guards came to our rescue but Prashant was nowhere to be seen.
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They recovered his body later, but he was already dead," said Vijay Narkar (18), Gurav's friend.u00a0"We never thought such a thing could happen with us. I have lost a close friend," he added in a choking voice.
Minor cases
Harshal Gawde (3) was playing Holi with his friends in Tardeo when some colour went into his eyes. "There was redness and irritation in his eyes because the colours used are laden with chemicals.
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We gave him a saline eye wash followed by eye drops to reduce the irritation," said Gawde's treating doctor at KEM hospital.
The incident has not, however, turned the festival sour for Gawde. When this reporter asked him if he would play Holi again, the toddler replied with a firm, enthusiastic yes.
Three men from Dharavi were admitted to Sion hospital with head injuries. "All three patients were under the influence of alcohol and must have got into a brawl judging by the nature of their injuries," said a doctor, requesting anonymity.
224
Number of people who suffered from Holi-related injuries
Medical nightmare
All major public and private hospitals saw various patients complaining of skin and eye irritation after celebrating the festival of colour, Holi.
Following is a break-up of the number of Holi-related cases reported at major hospitals:
JJ Hospital: 30
Sion Hospital: 30
Bhabha Hospital: 36
Nair Hospital: 14
St George Hospital: 40
Cooper Hospital: 14
VN Desai Hospital: 10
KEM Hospital: 50
