Sri Lanka revelry injures 345
2004-01-01 11:12
Colombo - At least 345 people were wounded in New Year-related accidents in and around the Sri Lankan capital Colombo while seven others tried to commit suicide, the main hospital here said on Thursday.
The Colombo National Hospital said 345 people were brought in on New Year's Eve and in the early hours of 2004 for treatment after road crashes, brawls, firecracker burns and other accidents.
Seven people wounded by firecrackers were in critical condition, said a hospital spokesperson.
Another seven people, depressed and unwilling to face another year, were admitted to hospital after trying to take their own lives, she said.
The number of casualties was slightly higher than during the revelry a year ago.
- AFP