Reports from local media on Monday, October 23, indicated that no less than 10 individuals, among them a 13-year-old boy, lost their lives due to heart attacks following their involvement in the traditional Garba dances, a high-energy Gujarati dance performed during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri in Gujarat, India, dedicated to honoring the goddess Durga.
The victims varied in age, encompassing both teenagers and middle-aged individuals, with the youngest among them being a 13-year-old boy hailing from Vadodara’s Dabhoi district.
According to News18, the significant occurrences of heart attack fatalities could potentially be attributed to pre-existing medical conditions, extended periods of fasting, inadequate dietary practices, and a lack of awareness regarding the prevalence of heart health issues in India.
The fatalities, occurring within a 24-hour span, have once again ignited concerns about the overall health of the Indian population and their vulnerability to heart-related issues.
The youngest victim, 13-year-old Vaibhav Soni, reportedly had a bicycle accident while returning from a Garba event in Vadodara district on Saturday. He was initially taken to a hospital for minor injuries, released after some tests, but later complained of chest pain at home.
His family administered medication and put him to bed, but became increasingly alarmed when he failed to wake up after several hours. He was subsequently rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead due to a heart attack.
Another adolescent fatality was 17-year-old Veer Shah, who felt unwell and experienced a nosebleed while participating in the Garba dance in Kheda district on Saturday night. He was promptly taken to a hospital, where he sadly succumbed to a fatal heart attack.
Reports of similar deaths emerged from various districts in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Navsari, and Rajkot.
Authorities disclosed that ambulance services received over 500 calls linked to heart-related issues within the 24-hour period encompassing these deaths, as well as approximately 600 calls regarding individuals experiencing breathlessness during the initial six days of the festival, which commenced on October 15 this year.
On Sunday, the state government issued a directive to Garba event organizers, urging them to guarantee the availability of ambulances and mandating community health centers near Garba locations to maintain a heightened state of readiness.
Cardiologist Anurag Mehrotra proposed that the heart attacks experienced by young Garba dancers might be attributed to the insufficient physical activity among India’s youth.
Dr. Mehrotra, who leads the cardiology department at Siddh Hospital in the state of Uttar Pradesh, conveyed to the NDTV news channel that, “If you do something that you are not accustomed to and you are exposed to that sort of exercise, these incidents occur.”