At least twelve children were injured in separate incidents of playing with fireworks during Eid-ul-Fitr in Barisal with some of them facing the risk of permanent disability.
Most of the injured were admitted to the Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
Following a visit to the hospital thursday, it was found that due to a lack of special burn unit, the injured were admitted to other units and were lying on the floor because of a lack of space.
Activities of law enforcers, family and social awareness needed to prevent such type of accident, said Anowar Zahid, health right activists.
SBMCH officials said at least twelve children aged between eight and fifteen sustained injuries from fireworks and six of them were still under treatment at the hospital since August 9, the day of Eid.
Among the victims Shafikul Islam, a student of classs even from Varpasha, Nazmul of class eight from municipal town under Nalchhiti upazila of Jhalakathi, Bayezid of class eight from Mundupasha, Rakib of class nine from Joyoshree under Uzirpur upazila, Razib of class eight from Banaripara upazila and Nisan of class eight from Chowmatha of the city under Barisal district were still under treatment at the Orthopaedic unit-2 in SBMCH.
Dr S Mahmud, registrar of the unit, said it will take at least a month for their treatment and some of the victims may become permanently disabled due to internal injuries.
This year, the number of fireworks’ victimshas been higher than the last year while scarcity of doctors and nurses during the Eid vacation and lack of burn unit in the hospital, only increased sufferings of the victims, said Dr Maniruzzaman Shahin, assistant professor of the Orthopaedics.
Dr Milton of Surgery unit-3 said six victims, Rajib and Kamrul of Barguna, Dalish of Uzirpur, Bajit of Barisal, Ismail of Jhlakathi and Rimon of Madaripur, were admitted at the children surgery ward and later released after treatment.
Among them, Rimon, a student of class three from Citykhan-Mathavanga area under Kalkini upazila of Madaripur said he purchased six-pieces of fireworks at Tk20 from a local shop and injured his hands while blasting them. One of his hands was injured severely and may become permanently disabled, doctors said.
Another victim, Nishan, said, he had purchased some firecrackers from a local shop at Tk15 apiece and injured himself when one of them exploded in his right hand.
Shafiq, another injured, said, he got injured while trying to make firecrackers at home. He burned his hands and legs when he was pouring sulphur inside the head of an umbrella stick.
AKM Ehsanullah, Barisal district police superintendent, said that announcements were made and embargo was put on place against trading and blasting fireworks before the Shab-e-Barat, but not ahead of the Eid.
“In future we would be more cautious and make announcements,” said the Ehsanullah.