Express News Service
THOOTHUKUDI: A day after the police firing claimed several lives and left many injured, the victims lashed out at the diluted rescue efforts mounted by the government hospital. A number of victims injured in the firing told Express that the State-run 108 ambulances attached to the ThMCH failed them in their moment of need. However, refuting the claims, the hospital authorities said that the rescue efforts were hampered as a mob vandalised three ambulances and hijacked one.
Speaking to Express, M Anandha Kannan (35), who was shot in the leg, said, “None of the government ambulances came to our aid. When I was taken inside an ambulance run by a private hospital, there were four more gunshot victims inside, bleeding profusely.” Mariammal (38), another victim, told Express, “My husband and me were assaulted by the police near the collectorate. We were separated when the stampede began. I was run over by the multitude trying to escape. Even as I was lying on the ground, I saw policemen beating up my husband. An 108 ambulance took my husband away from the spot, but stopped near the collectorate. Finally, a private ambulance came to our rescue.”
Meanwhile, authorities of government ambulance service said that protesters damaged three out of four ambulances, rendering rescue efforts ineffective. Speaking to Express, District Coordinator of 108 ambulance services R Tamilselvan said, “It is unfortunate that we could not serve the victims. During the firing, a rumour spread that 108 vehicles would only carry injured policemen. This led to attacks on ambulances.”
An ambulance driver was assaulted by a mob when he went near the collectorate to rescue the injured. The authorities claimed that a mob hijacked an ambulance from the government hospital to escape the lathi-charge and abandoned the vehicle near Collectorate.
