Mumbai, August 23: Treating panvel students will take longer compared to those injured in the Millat Nagar school van explosion, as they are older, say experts
The Panvel school bus accident (see box) on Thursday brought back dark memories of a similar incident in 2008 when a van carrying children from the Millat Nagar School in Jogeshwari burst into flames, killing five and injuring eight.
Age issues
Though the damage was greater in 2008 incident, doctors say the kids recovered faster because they were younger than the 19 students of Changu Kana Thakur (CKT) High School who suffered burn injuries.
GUTTED: The school bus in Panvel that burst into flames on Thursday.
Dr Sunil Keswani, who treated the Millat Nagar kids and is now attending to the CKT school children, said, “The children who got injured in Panvel may take four months to recover, as they are between eight and 14 years old.
The recovery of the kids in the Jogeshwari accident was faster because their average age was three years. The younger one is, the faster the skin renews itself.”
The doctor who handles burn cases at Masina Hospital in Byculla and Airoli’s National Burns Centre added, “Treating the Millat Nagar students was tough because they were in shock and did not cooperate during the treatment.
The CKT children understand the gravity of the situation and are responding to doctor’s queries.”
According to the doctor, the psychological damage was greater in the 2008 incident. Mudassar, one of the victims in Millat Nagar case has undergone four surgeries since the accident.
“He is physically stable, but still in a state of shock,” said Keswani.
—Agencies