Ahmedabad: Emergency medical teams had responded to 53 incidents during Ahmedabad’s 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra as of Thursday evening, with fainting continuing to account for the highest number of medical emergencies reported along the procession route.
According to the latest update from EMRI 108, a total of 53 cases had been attended to during the procession.
Of these, 18 were cases of fainting, followed by seven requiring first aid, five cases each of falls and breathing problems, four road traffic accidents, three convulsions, two cases each of abdominal pain, vomiting, and headache, and one case each of dehydration, blood pressure-related illness, and chest pain.
EMRI 108 ambulances and emergency response teams remained stationed at strategic locations along the Rath Yatra route to provide immediate medical assistance to devotees and participants.
Patients requiring further treatment were shifted to nearby hospitals after receiving initial care at the scene, while others were treated on site.
The rise in fainting cases came as large crowds gathered along the procession route and devotees spent several hours outdoors to witness the annual event.
Medical teams continued to monitor the situation and respond to calls throughout the day in coordination with police, hospitals, and civic authorities.
The 149th Jagannath Rath Yatra began from the historic Shree Jagannathji Mandir in Jamalpur earlier on Thursday, following the traditional religious ceremonies, including the ‘Pahind Vidhi’.
The procession carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra travelled along its customary route through Ahmedabad, passing key locations including Saraspur before returning to the temple later in the day.
Regarded as the second-largest Jagannath Rath Yatra in India after the procession in Puri, the annual event attracts lakhs of devotees from across Gujarat and other parts of the country.
Authorities have put in place extensive arrangements for this year’s yatra, including a multi-layered security deployment of more than 31,000 police personnel supported by artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance, drones, facial recognition systems, CCTV cameras, and an integrated command and control centre.
Emergency medical services, fire personnel, and civic teams have also been deployed along the 16-km route to ensure a prompt response to medical emergencies and facilitate the smooth conduct of the procession.
(IANS)
