E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Punit Paranjpe / AFP - Getty Images
Vaishnavi Borde, a nine year-old Indian child, who is undergoing treatment after suffering from allergic reactions from colored powder thrown during the Holi Festival, reacts during a blood test at a hospital in Mumbai on March 9. A teenage boy has died and hundreds of others have been hospitalized in Mumbai due to suspected contaminated paint used in the Indian "festival of colour" Holi, a report said.
Rajanish Kakade / AP
Relatives of 13-year old Viky Walmiki, who died from poisoning from colored powder and water used during Holi celebrations, gather outside his house in Mumbai, India, on March 9.
What traditionally are lighthearted Hindu celebrations of the arrival of spring, became deadly when hundreds of children came into contact with toxic colors used in the festivities. Viky Walmiki, 13-years-old, died after he was taken to the hospital with poisoning symptoms while celebrating in Mumbai. According to the Times of India, more than 200 people were admitted to hospitals "after they complained of giddiness, burning sensation on skin, nausea and vomiting." It is possible that leather tanners from a local dump got mixed up with the colors the children used to splash each other. Mumbai's Dharavi neighborhood is home to a leather tanning industry.
The annual festival always provides colorful scenes of people splashing each other with colored powders and dyes.
AP
Police take notes as they speak to children suffering from poisoning from colored powder and water used during Holi celebrations, in Mumbai, India, on March 8.
Rajanish Kakade / AP
5-year-old Ritika Borde, a victim of poisoning from colored powder and water used during Holi celebrations, stands in a queue to be treated at a government hospital in Mumbai, India, on March 9.
Leave a Comment:
Just too many ignorant, corrupt people in India. They may be great thinkers, but they have the common sense of a rock.
I'm about as Anglo as you can get and have no Indian friends, but my gosh John, America has a whole bunch of ignorant and corrupt people with no common sense. Why use an article about one incidence that may have been caused by one persons misjudgment to lambaste a whole nation? Go back to bed and take a large handful of your pills so we can have more people to be proud of.
thanks skunky-shoes....well said...
I am also white with no Indian friends...John's post showed true ignorance...
I have Indian friends. What does it matter??? What do you think people in other countries say about us when bizarre situations or accidents occur??? Are there no corrupt people elsewhere??? Innocent people, mostly children, celebrating an event have become sick and one is dead. Terribly sad, tragic.
Hope that there will have no further death. Condolences and prayers go to the victim's family and friends.
The government should investigate the dye and should bring those who has sold the dye to public to justice.
I feel bad for the children involved in this. Are they sure the dyes were not made in China? If I remember correctly, there were a lot of toxic toys coming out of China.
Always a terrible thing when something tragic occurs during what should be a time of celebration.
I hope that everyone else recovers soon and am saddened by the death of just one. I hope that whatever or whoever is at the bottom of this can be found swiftly so it never happens again.
I always love seeing the pictures coming out of the Holi celebrations. It seems like such a happy time. Seeing it become like this is just so sad.