Days after the powerful car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort, many of the injured survivors are enduring a painful recovery, with doctors reporting prevalent issues of severe pain and debilitating hearing problems. The high-intensity blast also left a devastating impact on the victims’ bodies, making identification a slow and heartbreaking process; of the 10 people killed on Monday, only eight have been identified so far due to several bodies being brought to the hospital in a dismembered state.
The Toll on Victims at LNJP Hospital
A significant number of the victims are currently being treated across multiple specialized departments at LNJP Hospital in Delhi. According to an official update shared with media, the patients are distributed as follows:
- Emergency Ward: 12 patients
- Isolation Ward: 6 patients
- ICU: 4 patients
- Neurosurgery Unit: 4 patients
- Trauma Centre: 1 patient
The injuries are varied and often severe. For instance, Md Safwan, a 28-year-old from Chennai, is battling pain in both ears, alongside abrasions, leg swelling, and general bruising. Similarly, Shiva Jaiswal, also 28 and from Uttar Pradesh, has significant hearing issues in both ears, burns on his arm, forearm, and face, and multiple abrasions.
Medical Insight on Blast Injuries
The prevalence of hearing issues is typical in high-intensity explosions, where the pressure wave primarily affects air-filled organs. Dr. Devinder Rai, Senior Consultant at the ENT Department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, explained that the impact is highly dependent on a victim’s distance from the blast.
Dr. Rai noted that some individuals are more susceptible to noise-induced trauma, a condition he termed ‘soft ears.’ The effects can range widely in intensity and duration:
- The trauma often results in temporary or permanent hearing impairment.
- In some cases, victims suffer from tinnitus, a persistent ringing sound in the ear, caused by damage to the inner ear’s delicate structures.
The Psychological Scars of First Responders
Beyond the physical injuries, the immediate aftermath has left deep psychological wounds on the locals and first responders who rushed to the scene. The explosion, which ripped through a slow-moving car on Monday evening, instantly turned a busy street into a horrific crime scene.
Rajeev Kumar, a cosmetics seller whose shop is near the Red Fort, was among the first to render aid. He described the terrifying moment he realized the sound was not a routine cylinder blast, but a terror attack. Kumar confessed that the horrific details of the incident have left him unable to sleep for two consecutive nights.
“I couldn’t sleep for the last two nights. I just wanted to know if that man survived. When something like this happens in front of you, it doesn’t leave your mind easily,” he said, speaking after visiting one of the injured he had helped at LNJP Hospital.
Fizaan, an ambulance driver who helped transport several people, shared an equally harrowing account of the chaos and the visceral reality of the injuries he encountered.
“I carried body parts in my hands. They were shaking. The smell of smoke and burnt metal was everywhere. Some bodies were severely mutilated,” he recalled.
His colleague, Imran, echoed the sentiment of shock and immediate action: “We didn’t think much at that time. We just started lifting people. Some were not moving at all, some were crying in pain.” The accounts from these first responders underscore the profound and lasting impact of the tragedy.