Two-year-old boy dies after chewing firecracker in Chhattisgarh

A nearly two-year-old boy has died in Chhattisgarh after a small firecracker exploded inside his mouth while he was playing outside his house.

What Happened

The incident took place in Navapara village within the Sitapur block of Surguja district between November 8 and 9 during the Diwali festival. The victim, identified as Aditya Manjhi, picked up a pop-pop cracker, also known locally as 'lehsun' because of its garlic-like shape, and chewed on it. The toy firecracker is designed to explode when it hits a hard surface. According to his father, Indrajit Manjhi, other children informed the family about the mishap after the explosion injured the child's gums and caused heavy bleeding.

Treatment And Investigation

The parents initially took Aditya to a local Community Health Centre in Sitapur. They brought him back home after the bleeding stopped temporarily, but returned the next day when the bleeding started again. Medical staff gave him stitches before transferring him to Mission Hospital in Ambikapur on November 11, where he died during treatment that same night. Doctors who performed the post-mortem examination found traces of the firecracker inside the child's throat. Police have registered an accidental death report and are investigating the case, while officials at the health centre and hospital were unavailable for comment.

Context

Accidents involving firecrackers often highlight safety risks for young children during festive periods. National data shows hundreds of firecracker injuries and accidents across the country every year, though official figures often combine public mishaps with industrial accidents. Local safety warnings regularly urge strict adult supervision when children are anywhere near festive fireworks.