Reports from local media in India’s western state of Gujarat revealed that at least 10 people, including a 13-year-old boy, have succumbed to heart attacks after participating in the traditional garba dance during the Hindu festival of Navaratri.
The garba dance, a high-energy traditional Gujarati performance, is held over nine nights to honor the goddess Durga.
The deceased individuals ranged from teenagers to middle-aged, with the youngest being a 13-year-old from Vadodara’s Dabhoi district.
According to News18, the increase in heart attack fatalities may be attributed to pre-existing medical conditions, prolonged fasting, poor eating habits, and insufficient awareness of prevalent heart health issues in India.
The fatalities, occurring within 24 hours, have once again brought attention to the general health and susceptibility to cardiac problems among Indians.
The youngest victim, 13-year-old Vaibhav Soni, fell off his bicycle after attending a garba event in Vadodara district and was discharged from the hospital only to complain of chest pain at home, where he eventually passed away from a heart attack.
Another teenager, Veer Shah, aged 17, reported feeling unwell and suffered a nosebleed while dancing the garba in Kheda district before succumbing to a fatal heart attack at a hospital.
Similar deaths were reported in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, Navsari, and Rajkot districts.
During the 24-hour period of reported deaths, ambulance services received over 500 calls related to heart problems and about 600 calls regarding people experiencing breathlessness during the festival’s initial six days, which began on October 15.
The state government has urged garba organizers to ensure the availability of ambulances and directed community health centers near garba venues to remain on high alert.
Cardiologist Anurag Mehrotra suggested that the heart attacks among teenage garba dancers could be attributed to a lack of exercise among Indian youths, emphasizing that engaging in unfamiliar physical activities can lead to such incidents.
“If you do something that you are not accustomed to and you are exposed to that sort of exercise, these incidents occur,” remarked Dr. Mehrotra, head of the cardiology department at Siddh Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, during an interview with the NDTV news channel.