Mumbai: Two people died and more than 300 were injured during the ‘Dahi Handi’ festival in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, civic officials said on Sunday.
The festival, celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Krishna, saw troupes of young men and women forming human pyramids to break curd-filled pots suspended high above the ground. According to officials, 318 people were injured in Mumbai, of whom only 24 — including a nine-year-old boy — remain hospitalised. The rest were discharged after treatment on Saturday. The island city reported the highest number of cases at 135, followed by 111 in the western suburbs and 72 in the eastern suburbs. Two, including the child, are said to be in critical condition.
The boy, Aryan Yadav of Tanaji Nagar, was injured at a chawl and is being treated at a civic hospital in Kandivali. Another victim, Shreyas Chalke (23), has been admitted to GT Hospital.
Among the casualties, Jagmohan Shivkiran Chaudhari (32) fell to his death in Mankhurd while tying a dahi handi to a rope from the first-floor window grille of his house. He was taken to a civic-run hospital, where he was declared brought dead, an official said.
A 14-year-old boy was also declared dead in Ghatkopar late Saturday night. In Andheri, Rohan Mohan Malvi of Gaondevi Govinda Pathak collapsed in a tempo, though he had not joined pyramid formations due to recent illness.
In Thane, 22 participants were injured, disaster management chief Yasin Tadvi said. Seventeen were admitted to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital, while five were taken to the district government hospital. Some victims were children aged 5 to 10.
The celebrations also drew film stars Govinda, Chunky Pandey and Sunil Shetty, who joined festivities in Thane.