Gujarat shocker: 10 heart attack deaths at garba events in 24 hours

The victims were not just middle-aged people, there were teenagers among the victims as well, including a 13-year-old boy from Dabhoi, Baroda.

On the sixth day of Navratri on October 20, 17-year-old Veer Shah died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, while playing garba. This tragic incident happened in Kapadvanj Kheda district. A 28-year-old, Ravi Panchal from Hathijan in Ahmedabad too suddenly collapsed while playing garba at 12.30 am. He was declared dead upon arrival at the LG Hospital. He worked for a private factory and reportedly did not have any heart trouble.

Kapadvanj incident

According to reports, in Kapadvanj Kheda district, while doing the garba, Veer Shah suddenly complained of dizziness and became unconscious. A few volunteers performed a cardio-respiratory resuscitation but to no avail as he had no pulse by then.

Despite three cycles of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation done on him, there was no response and signs of respiration. He was rushed to a hospital by ambulance but he was declared dead on arrival. His parents who were celebrating Navratri at a second garba ground in Kapadvanj went into shock when they heard the news of his sudden death.

Thereafter, reports quoted a grieving Ripal Shah, as cautioning revellers not to continuously play garba without rest. He did not want a similar tragedy to happen to someone else. As a mark of tribute to Veer Shah, the garba organisers maintained two minutes of silence. A pall of gloom hangs over Kapadwanj over this incident.

What’s cast a shadow over the colourful festivities is that these cases are not isolated ones. Over the first six days of Navratri, 108 emergency ambulance services received 521 calls for heart-related issues and 609 calls for breathlessness. These calls were made between 6 pm and 2 am, which is also the time when garba is usually held in different places.

Govt measures

Meanwhile, the state government, who is worried about this alarming situation, issued an alert to all government hospitals and community health centers (CHCs) near garba venues to be prepared for any emergencies.

Corridors for ambulances are to be set up by the garba organisers to facilitate easy entry into these places. They have also been told by the government to station doctors and ambulances at the venues. Their staff should be also be trained in CPR and lots of water should be made available for participants, the government directed the organisers.