Diwali celebration turns tragic: 10-year-old dies after rocket explodes in hand, hits chest in Delhi; family alleges hospital negligence
PTC News Desk: Diwali celebrations turned into a tragedy for a family in Delhi's Narela after their 10-year-old son died while bursting firecrackers on Sunday night. The boy, identified as Rishi, was celebrating the festival with his family when the incident took place.
According to reports, Rishi was lighting a skyrocket when it failed to shoot into the sky and instead hit him in the chest.
His elder brother, Mohit, accused the hospital staff of being careless while treating Rishi. He claimed that the doctors did not respond quickly to the emergency.
"The doctors did not rush to attend to an emergency case. They walked slowly towards my brother and only pressed his chest," Mohit said.
After the hospital declared Rishi dead, his father, who had reached the hospital, fainted. Mohit was looking after his father when the family alleged that Rishi's body was taken away.
The child was taken to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela, where doctors declared him dead. However, his family has accused the hospital of medical negligence. Rishi's mother, Anjali, also alleged that the hospital staff failed to provide proper treatment.
"While he was bursting anar (flower-pot crackers) and sky shots, one firecracker hit him from behind and struck his chest. It damaged his arteries. He was still breathing, so we rushed him to the hospital. But he was not treated properly," she said.
According to Delhi Police, the incident took place around 9:45 pm when Rishi was bursting an 'anar' firecracker. It exploded and injured his chest. He was rushed to the hospital but was declared brought dead, police said. The hospital informed the police about his death around 10:50 pm.
In a statement, Delhi Police said, “On 08/11/2026 at about 09:45 PM, a child was bursting a handheld firecracker (Anar) in front of his house in Narela area. The firecracker burst, causing injury to his chest. The child died on the spot."
Police added that the child’s body had been sent for post-mortem examination and further proceedings were underway.
Fire department received 214 fire-related calls on Diwali
The Delhi Fire Service received 257 emergency calls on Diwali, including 214 calls related to fires. Of these, 24 were linked to firecrackers.
The highest number of emergency calls came between 8 pm and 10 pm, when the department received 85 calls. Another 61 calls were reported between 10 pm and midnight.
Five firefighters were also injured while responding to fire-related emergencies across the city.
- PTC NEWS
