Kharghar tragedy: Victims had not eaten anything for 6-7 hours, reveals postmortem

The postmortem report of 12 victims showed that their stomachs were empty, while that of two showed it was not clear whether they had taken any food or water.

The event held between 10.30 am and 1.15 pm was attended by around 21 lakh Shrisa-dasya (followers of Appasaheb Dharmadhikari) from across the state, of which 650 reported about complications due to heatstroke at the medical booths in the venue. At least 60 of them were rushed to nearby hospitals as their condition was stated to be “serious” and 14 of them died later. Ten are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals, while 36 were discharged after treatment.

Of the 14 bodies, 12 were taken to the sub-district hospital in Panvel, where postmortems were performed early Monday.

“All the deceased were on an empty stomach, as if they had not eaten anything for 6-7 hours before their death. Due to their excessive exposure to sunlight and heat, their bodies showed no signs of water,” a doctor privy to the postmortem process told The Indian Express.

“Some of them had comorbidities. They had not eaten anything for hours, did not consume enough liquid, and were exposed to direct sunlight at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius,” the doctor said.

Explaining that a person suffering from hypertension or any heart disease would face acute renal failure due to dehydration, the doctor said that one of the deceased also had a heart condition. Similarly, the condition of those with diabetes and hypertension will also deteriorates faster in such circumstances, the doctor said.

The doctor added that even if a person with undiagnosed comorbidities should eat something at short intervals and consume liquid if exposed to heat for long hours.

Officials present at the event said that Dharmadhikari Pratishthan volunteers were providing water to those who assembled as water taps were installed 300-400 metres away from the sitting area.

Even water would not have helped people who were sitting in the sun for four-five hours and only shade could have prevented the tragedy, another doctor said. However, only VIPs were provided sitting arrangement in shade.

A source from the Panvel district administration said that a day before the event, many doctors, staff, and other administrative officers visited reviewed preparations at the venue. “Even these officials faced trouble during the review in high temperatures but unfortunately, it was not conveyed to the higher-ups of the organising committee, which failed to anticipate that the high temperature could lead to a major tragedy,” the officer said.

Mahendra Kalyankar, divisional commissioner, Konkan Division, did not respond to phone calls.

NCP leader shares video

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Awhad shared a 1.23-minute video on Twitter showing people, including women, falling unconscious. A man was seen giving CPR to a middle-aged woman. He tweeted, “Where should this type of stampede have happened?” However, authorities have not confirmed that this video is of Kharghar’s tragedy.