Teen boxer swims 2.5 km in flood-hit Karnataka for championship, wins silver
Bengaluru: A 19-year-old boxer, Nishan Manohar Kadam from Mannur village in Belagvi district of Karnataka last week won a silver medal in the state-level championship. But this is not the story here. This is the story about his indomitable spirit that springs hope even as parts of Karnataka continue to battle with floods.
Kadam, a Class XII student, had been eyeing the wrestling event for long. But when the time came to realise his dream, a massive flood marooned his village. But he and his father, a farmer, found a way to beat the nature's fury.
On August 7, when Kadam has to catch a train to Bengaluru to participate in the wrestling event, floodwater was head-high around his home. The three roads connecting his village were all submerged and damaged. They had been cordoned off by the rescue workers, according to a Times of India report.
However, this did not deter Kadam and his father. They covered the boxing kit in plastic, and jumped into the floodwater. They covered a distance of 2.5 km swimming for 45 minutes to reach the spot where Kadam could join the Belagavi district team.
Three days later, Nishan won silver in his category in Bengaluru. "I was waiting for this event and didn't want to miss it at any cost," said a jubilant Kadam.
"Since our area was surrounded by water and no vehicles could enter, we had no other option but to swim," he said.
Although the teenager could not win gold in the light flyweight category losing out to Bharath from Bengaluru, he was happy with his performance and hopeful of a better show next year. "This time I lost gold because of my bad luck. Next year, I will surely win gold," he said.
courtesy: www.indiatoday.in
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Odisha hospital fire toll rises to 12 as 2 more succumb to burn injuries
Bhubaneswar/Cuttack (Odisha) (PTI): The toll in the devastating fire at government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital here climbed to 12 after two more patients succumbed to their burn injuries on Tuesday.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling informed the assembly that a total of 12 people died in the fire incident that took place at the trauma care ICU of the hospital early on Monday.
Terming it a "very sad accident", the minister said, "As soon as the fire broke out, the hospital staffers worked on a war footing to immediately shift 23 patients from the first floor ICU and adjacent wards of the trauma care centre. All of them were shifted to other ICUs and wards."
Seven patients of the trauma care centre died due to their critical condition while five other critically ill patients died while undergoing treatment in other wards and ICUs.
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Eleven medical staffers engaged in the rescue of the patients were also injured in the fire. The injured staff members are undergoing treatment and their lives are out of danger, he said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Naveen Patnaik, visited the hospital on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also taken stock of the situation.
The state government has constituted a judicial panel to probe the incident, and also formed a fact-finding team headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh that visited the hospital. The team will submit a report to the chief secretary.
The blaze had erupted around 2.48 am on the first floor and is suspected to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit.
SCB Medical College and Hospital is the state's premier health facility, with nearly 2,700 beds and it serves thousands daily.
