Tragedy leaves a father childless and a girl without friends

“She told me that she was talking to her friends when suddenly their vehicle was hit by another vehicle and then they all toppled over each other,there was a jerk and after that she could not remember anything”,adds Shyam Lal whose five-year-old son is also serious and is admitted at PGI. Nandini has not been told that she has lost her five friends,Lal says. “My brother and his family is taking care of my son”,he said sobbing.

“The school charges Rs 1,000 as tuition fee and transport charges. I wanted my children to study even if we were forced to live hand to mouth,” Lal adds.

Beside Nandini’s trolley is four-year-old Uplaksh,with his grandmother. Only semi-conscious,the boy would cry every now and then. “My other grandson,Pankaj is in PGI. Both my grandsons are injured,what will I do if anything happens to either of them”,says Uplaksh’s grandmother amidst tears.

The worst affected in the tragedy,however,was Rajkumar,who lost both his sons in the accident. He collected the bodies of his children,one of whom was in nursery and the other in class 1,and left for his village.

Meanwhile,it was a heart rending scene at the GMCH 32 as the hospital’s emergency wing echoed with the cries of the injured children. Around 13 of the injured students were brought here while two of them were declared brought dead. Hospital authorities have identified the deceased as four-year-old Shivam and six-year-old Anuj. The condition of three others: Isha,Shuvam and Aman is stated to be serious and they have been admitted at the paediatrics ICU. According to GMCH hospital officials,the other injured children who have been admitted here include Nandini,Akshit,Harman,Uplaksh,Navneet,Sahil,Harsh,while one child is yet to be unidentified.

Four other injured children were referred to PGI. The hospital officials said two are critical and two other children are stable. While Jatin and Harshit are in the Emergency wing two others are in the ICU.

“Our hearts went out for the parents when they and relatives of the injured children started reaching the hospital’s emergency wing. Unaware of the condition of their children,these parents who identified their children with their I-cards were trying to enter the surgical emergency ward to meet them”,said a security personnel at the entrance of the emergency of the GMCH 32.

“We even had to struggle to keep people outside the sensitive wards of the hospital”,he added.

Chief Minister Haryana,Bhupinder Singh Hooda visited GMCH-32 during the day when ambulances started bringing in the children.