Kharghar heatstroke deaths: Four avoidable lapses that led to tragedy

The attendees at the Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony in Kharghar, on Sunday. Pic/Sameer Markande

The loss of lives could have been averted had the organisers taken care of basic details and provided water during the ceremony, a police officer, who was on duty at the event, told mid-day on condition of anonymity.

1. The event was delayed

The award ceremony was scheduled to start at 10.30 am, according to the plan it was to conclude in an hour and thirty minutes. However, not only was the programme delayed, by almost 40 minutes, it was stretched beyond the schedule. It started at 11.10 am and ended at 1.15 pm, more than two hours later.

What could have been done?
It's a well-known fact that summers have become unusually hot for a few years. Keeping this in mind, the event could have been organised either early morning (before 7 am) or late evening (after 6 pm).

Nearly half of the attendees had access to just one exit

2. They didn't have drinking water for hours

The arrangement for drinking water was made outside the venue, with water tankers parked on the road and CIDCO pipelines fitted with taps, but was insufficient for lakhs of people who rushed towards J Kumar circle. And because of that, people had no way of quenching their thirst even after the event ended. During the peak of day, they sat under the sun for hours. When they finally got a chance to get to the tankers and taps, overcrowding prevented them from getting water. Many were hesitant to drink water directly from pipes fitted to tankers.

Also read: Sunstroke tragedy: Attendees suffered dehydration as water in tankers at Navi Mumbai venue became hot

What could have been done?
Water bottles should have been made available inside the venue and circulated among the attendees.

3. Single exit for 60% attendees

After the event, 50-60% attendees headed towards J Kumar circle, where buses were waiting to ferry them to the nearest railway station, the highway or parking lots. With people having to walk 1-5 kms, many fell unconscious. The ambulance and medical team could not reach them, as the roads were jam-packed with people and stranded buses. A makeshift medical setup was arranged behind the main stage, opposite Tata hospital, but was over 1 km away from J Kumar circle. The Gurudwara-Tata hospital road, which was closed for VVIP movement, was opened to the public only at 3 pm.

What could have been done?
The Gurdwara-Tata hospital road should have been opened as soon as the VIPs left around 1.15 pm. If opened, this entire stretch could have been used by the attendees to exit the venue without any hassle.

4. Only 3 entry/exit points for lakhs

For the huge International Corporate Park, there were only a few entry and exit points for the attendees. While 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the crowd entered from the north side of the ground (CISF quarters and Taloja jail), 20 per cent to 25 per cent arrived from the entry on the side of Ranjan pada in Sector 27. Between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of the attendees entered and exited the venue from J Kumar circle. Also, the road connecting Gurudwara and Tata hospital was fully sealed for the public; only VVIPs were allowed access. People had started arriving at the venue on Saturday night and this continued until next morning, even after the event started and many were reluctant to move out of their seat due to fear of rush and getting lost. Water and makeshift toilets were arranged at the venue, but no shed was erected for the public.

What could have been done?
The organisers could have opened more entry and exit points for such a huge crowd. Also, proper signage and markings should have been erected, as many people had come to the venue for the first time and were struggling to move around.

How people get heatstroke

Dr Pankaj Titar, a practising physician at Kharghar, said, "Heatstroke happens when the temperature of the body goes above 40.06 degree Celsius that is 105.1 F, it is a dangerous condition which if not received intervention, can cause vital organ failure, unconsciousness, organ damage and death. Symptoms include hyperthermia behavioral changes, confusion, delirium, dizziness, weakness, agitation, combativeness, slurred speech, nausea, and vomiting etc."

Dr Dilip Malvankar proposed a heatstroke action plan and recently predicted the cases of heart stroke to increase from March 1. The government should give more attention to the Malvankar Action plan. The cases of deaths due to heatstroke have been increasing since 2004, hence the orientation of the medical team towards handling scenarios at such a big event should have taken place.

Drills for heatstroke, heart attack, cerebral stroke, sudden choking and CPR should have been performed and protocols should have been established regarding situational emergencies. This is how EMT and emergency medical services appointed by governments overseas perform tasks. They work on high value intervention and transporting the patient at the same time. Such situational simulations in the area where an event is scheduled result in quicker action, which eventually save lives.

What Dr Titar says

>> Our ability to deal with heat depends on the strength of our nervous system which plays an important role in thermoregulation. This strength declines in elderly hence elderly people should not exert themselves in heat
>> Avoiding sudden exposure to increasing heat, e.g. during a heat wave in summer one must avoid exposure for a long time in the afternoon
>> People on certain medication which narrow the vessels, regulate the blood pressure by blocking adrenalin, rid the body of sodium and water and antipsychotics such people are at greater risk of heat stroke
>> Wear loose fitting and light clothes
>> Sunburn reduces body's ability to cool itself hence wear wide brimmed hats, glasses and apply SPF 15 sunscreen.
>> Drink plenty of fluids
>> Invest time in getting acclimated, by slow exposure one can condition oneself to work in heat, so take it slow
>> Never leave your children or animals in a parked car where the temperature increases by 11 degrees

‘Cops were weary'

A Shree Sadasya volunteer, requesting anonymity, said crowd management could have been better. Cops and volunteers were exhausted just like the attendees, as they had been on bandobast since Saturday evening.

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No of entry/exit used by nearly 60% attendees