Toddler falls on ember during fire walk ritual
The grandfather had carried the child with him, as he had made a promise to walk on fire for the child’s well-being. The child suffered 36% burn injuries.
Representative image
CHENNAI: A 14-month-old girl child suffered burn injuries after slipping from her grandfather’s arms and fell into an ember bed at a temple festival during the ‘fire walk ritual’ near Uthukottai on Sunday.
The grandfather had carried the child with him, as he had made a promise to walk on fire for the child’s well-being. The child suffered 36% burn injuries.
Police said that the incident happened at the Draupathi Amman temple in Uthukottai where several villagers had signed up for the fire-walking ritual.
Rajesh (50) from Tharatchi village had carried his granddaughter with him. As he was walking on the ember, he slipped and fell down face first while the toddler fell on her back, police said.
Public and temple authorities rushed to their aid, and pulled the child and her grandfather out of the embers and moved both of them to Uthukottai Government Hospital. Rajesh sustained injuries on his knees, legs and hands, police said. The child was transferred to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) where she is undergoing treatment with 36 per cent burn injuries. Police quoted the doctors as saying that the child was out of danger and was being monitored continuously.
