New Delhi, June 11: A four-month-old girl from Nepal diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer that causes loss of vision due to abnormal growth in retina, can now see the world, thanks to treatment at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals here.

The girl, Sampada, is fully cured now, but still visits the Delhi facility on a regular basis for check-ups, the hospital said in a statement on Monday.

The girl was diagnosed with the disease when she was barely a month old and was referred to the city after doctors from her hometown Pokhhara realised the severity. 

Her mother too lost her vision due to this eye cancer and her father was visually impaired since birth.

"Retinoblastoma is a type of eye cancer which affects the retina of the eye. It is the most sensitive lining of the eye having photosensitive cells and receives the light and sends the signal to the brain via optic nerve, where they are interpreted as images," said Amita Mahajan from Apollo Hospitals.

"In rare cases, pediatric retinoblastoma can be fatal, though the success rate of treatment is 90 per cent," she added.

Sampada was four-month-old when she was admitted for chemotherapy at the Delhi hospital under the care of Mahajan.

The disease affects children more and rarely occurs among adults, Mahajan said.

"The total income of the family was Rs 5,000 per month. It was a brave decision on their part to seek treatment for their daughter despite so many hurdles in their way," Mahajan said. 

"We registered Sampada's family with a non-profit organisation and after the discussion with an advisory body, we started providing to-and-fro travel conveyance to the family," Mahajan said.

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Bengaluru (PTI):The rains in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening wreaked havoc, killing 10 people, authorities said.

Heavy rains coupled with a hailstorm and gusty winds uprooted trees, flooded many key stretches and threw traffic out of gear, they said on Thursday.

Large parts of the city witnessed sudden, intense rainfall for nearly an hour, bringing down trees and electric poles, crushing parked vehicles and inundating low-lying areas, while several roads were rendered impassable, severely disrupting vehicular movement during peak hours.

Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a compound wall of the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital collapsed amid the downpour.

Among the deceased, two were from Kerala who were on a study tour. They had taken shelter near the wall when it gave way, they said.

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In another incident, a 35-year-old man, identified as Raghu, died of electrocution on Bannerghatta Road near Vega City Mall.

In a separate case in Yarab Nagar, a student, Syed Sufiyan died after coming into contact with a live electric wire while attempting to park his motorcycle during the rain, police said.

One more fatality was reported from Chamarajapet, where Manjunath died on the spot after a cement block fell and pierced through the roof of a house during the storm.

The sudden spell of rain left a trail of destruction across the city.

“So far, 10 people have died due to rain-related incidents in Bengaluru,” police said, attributing the deaths to wall collapse, electrocution and structural damage triggered by the storm.

Civic authorities said at least 87 trees were uprooted and 131 branches snapped across the city, disrupting daily life.

Of these, 60 trees and 98 branches had been cleared, while restoration work was ongoing.

Several cars and two-wheelers parked along roadsides were crushed under fallen trees.

Key junctions and underpasses were waterlogged, with the KR Circle underpass completely submerged, forcing police to barricade the stretch due to lack of drainage.

Fallen branches and stalled vehicles further worsened traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours.

Officials said buildings suffered partial damage in several areas, while the sudden and unanticipated nature of the storm caught many residents off guard. Authorities have issued a rain alert for the next three days.