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Bengaluru, Jan 23: An alleged low-intensity blast on Wednesday late evening in Shanthinagar left three-time Congress MLA NA Harris and six others with burn injuries. The blast reported at around 8:30 pm during a cultural programme gripped the central parts of Bengaluru in a panic especially after the incident of police recovering a live bomb in Mangaluru airport. 

According to sources in Shanthinagar, MLA Harris was attending the birthday celebrations of MGR organized by the locals close to his residence in Shanthinagar. Following the blast, Harris and a few others who standing close to the MLA sustained burn injuries and rushed to the nearby Philomena Hospital immediately and police officials from both the Ashok Nagar and Vivek Nagar visited the spot. The police officials are yet to confirm whether it was a bomb blast or due to the bursting of loud and powerful crackers. 

Chethan Singh Rathore, DCP (Central) visited the hospital and the blast site. A team of forensic science lab experts have also been summoned to the spot to collect samples for ascertaining the nature of the blast. MLA Harris’s son Mohammed Nalapad who rushed to the hospital along with supporters told media persons that they are completely shocked by the incident. 

“He was sitting on a chair and suddenly something that was hurled at him exploded beneath the chair. He sustained injuries to his leg and brought to the hospital. He is being treated by a team of doctors and other injured supporters are also being attended to by the doctors,” Nalapad said. 

Expressing shock over the incident, he said, “My father has been an MLA for 12-years and nothing of this sort had happened before in the constituency. We have no rivals and my father never had any gunmen. We are all shocked and have complained to the jurisdictional police.” 

Meantime, Dr Shankar Prasad, Medical Director, St Philomena’s Hospital explained that Harris and others are currently being treated for minor injuries. “None of them have any open cut injuries and they are being examined further,” Dr Prasad told DH. 

According to Dr Prasad, Harris had a minor blood clot in his left leg which was possibly due to a hard object hitting him during the blast. “We have taken X-Ray and examining further. At the look of it, it seems like a very minor injury,” he added. 

Bengaluru, Jul 4: In a heart-wrenching incident, a 65-year-old coronavirus patient at Hanumath Nagar in South Bengaluru died outside his house waiting for an ambulance on Friday evening. The body was kept on the road for more three hours.

The deceased tested positive for coronavirus on Friday and immediately called an ambulance to reach a hospital. However, according to his family members, as he waited for the ambulance for nearly three hours, he collapsed on the road in front of his house complaining of breathlessness and died.

As the body lay unattended on the road, it began to rain heavily. Soon, videos of the body lying on the road in the heavy rain went viral on social media. 

A senior doctor in charge of the division, however, claimed that the ambulance had arrived in less than half an hour but the patient had died before they reached the spot. 

"The patient had given samples on Thursday at KIMS and tested positive on Friday. BBMP officials informed them that they would reach his house. But the man, fearing that he may be stigmatised in the locality, began walking to the corner of the road and collapsed on the street and died," the officer said. 

Another health official from Basavanagudi limits said: "As the ambulance staff do not transport the dead, they informed the hearse van, which was set to arrive in 30 minutes. But due to the sudden rain and heavy traffic ahead of the curfew hours, they were stranded for almost three hours later." The officials also said the deceased had been suffering from cardiac ailments for almost 10 years. 

Regretting the incident, BBMP officials said they were helpless as was an acute shortage of hearse vans. "We were told that there were 20 deaths today and there are only eight hearse vans available. They had to shift this patient after attending to another mortality and were stuck in traffic. By then, due to the fear of infection, nobody attended to the deceased," the officer explained. 

BBMP commissioner B H Anil Kumar said that such incidents should not recur and ordered an investigation and sought a report. "We will ensure that such incidents do not recur," Kumar said.  

Following outrage on social media, a hearse van was summoned and the body was shifted to the Victoria Hospital mortuary as per the protocol. Police have opened a case of unnatural death.

Bengaluru, Mar 27: Karnataka has so far witnessed 62 Covid-19 positive cases including 3 deaths and five discharges, according to mid-day bulletin released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.

The state on Friday witnessed a sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases with the officials confirming seven new positive cases overnight (26 March 5:00 pm to 27 March 8:00 am) across the state including a 10-month-old baby boy becoming the youngest Covid-19 patient in Karnataka and second youngest patient in India after 8-month-old baby in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to mid-day bulletin released by the Department of Health and Family Welfare on Friday, Karnataka witnessed 62 Covid-19 positive cases including 3 deaths and five discharges. The 10-month-old baby (P56) even though had no travel history to any of the Covid-19 affected countries, officials revealed that the family members had taken the baby to Kerala and six primary contacts have been established and put under home quarantine.

This apart, a 20-year-old male (P57) who returned from Colombo, a 25-year-old female (P58) who returned from London have also been tested positive for Covid-19. Further, a 35-year-old female (P59) and 33-year-old female (P61) said to be the primary contacts of P25 (House Maid) have also been tested positive according to the officials

Besides, a 60-year-old male (P60) who returned to Sira in Tumakuru by train from New Delhi died on Friday morning also tested positive. His primary contacts, including health care professionals have been put under house quarantine. According to officials a 22-year-old male (P62) from Uttara Kannada with travel history to Dubai has also been tested positive for Covid 19 on Friday.

According to bulletin, all the patients barring P60 are being treated at designated isolation hospitals in Mangaluru, Bengaluru and Uttara Kannada. In the meantime, P1 and P3 from Bengaluru have been discharged from RGICD, according to officials.