Six people die of heart attack in one week during garba dance

Gujarat state health minister has urged top heart specialists to investigate the deaths of six people who apparently lost their lives following a heart attack while performing 'garba' dance as part of Navratri celebrations.

Rushikesh Patel on Monday (23) held a meeting with top heart specialists and doctors of the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre and directed them to collect relevant data and examine the exact cause of the deaths, sources said.

A high school student from Kapadvanj town in Kheda district, Veer Shah, fainted while playing garba last Friday (20) night, his family said, citing the cause as a heart attack. He was rushed to a hospital, but could not be saved, they said.

Former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel last Sunday (22) expressed concern over the recent deaths and urged the health minister to investigate the reasons behind the rising number of heart attacks in the state.

"Many youngsters suffered heart attacks and died while playing garba during Navratri. We must conduct an analysis of such deaths to find out the reasons,” she said at an event.

Among those who died in recent days was 28-year-old Ravi Panchal, who suffered from a sudden cardiac arrest when he was dancing to garba tunes on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in the early hours of last Saturday (21).

In Vadodara, 55-year-old Shankar Rana was referred to a hospital last Friday (20) night after he collapsed on a garba ground. He was declared dead on arrival by doctors.

Mrunal Shukla, 31, of Navsari district, and 46-year-old Raju Aala of Porbandar district died due to the same reason on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

In Rajkot, a 47-year-old woman, Kanchan Saxena, felt uneasy and collapsed after playing garba last Friday night. Though she was referred to a hospital, she could not be revived.

Prior to Navratri festivities, the state Health and Family Welfare Department, through a notification, made it mandatory for garba event organisers to deploy an ambulance and a medical team at the venue to provide immediate aid to participants.