10-year-old dies after firecracker explodes in Narela

A 10-year-old boy, identified by police as Rishi, died after a handheld flowerpot firecracker exploded while he was holding it outside his home in Delhi’s Narela area on November 8, police said. The boy suffered chest injuries, and police said a hospital later reported that he had been brought dead.

The explosion occurred at about 9:45 p.m. during Diwali celebrations, according to Delhi Police. The boy was holding an anar, a flowerpot-style firecracker, when it burst. Police said the blast injured his chest and that the child died at the scene. The hospital informed police at about 10:50 p.m. that he had been brought in with firecracker-related burn injuries.

The boy’s elder brother said the family initially thought the injury was minor. He said Rishi called for his mother, then fainted, and the family took him to hospital on a scooter. The brother alleged that hospital staff did not properly examine the boy and said timely intervention might have saved him. He also alleged that police did not assist the family and told him to leave the hospital to care for his father.

Those allegations were reported by the family; the police account described the hospital’s notification and the...