Kolkata, Feb 15 (PTI) The condition of two of the three children who were admitted to the SSKM Hospital here after being injured in a pool car accident in Hooghly is "very very critical", a senior doctor said on Saturday.
On Friday, 14 schoolchildren and the car's driver were injured after the vehicle fell into a water-filled ditch near Kamdebpur in the district. Eleven children were discharged after being administered first aid, while three were sent to the SSKM hospital.
"There are concussions in the brain, brain haemorrhage, and injuries to the brain stem due to the accident. Brain stems control the functioning of the heart, lungs and other parts of the body...
"Polluted water and mud went inside their lungs. We have tried to pull out the mud and water from their lungs... They are hemodynamically stable," the doctor said while giving details about the children's condition.
Two of them are "very very critical" and one is "critical", he said.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used on Friday to lessen the amount of arterial carbon dioxide, the doctor said.
"Yesterday, we tried to use ECMO to lessen the amount of rterial CO2. We are trying to make the lungs functional. Our senior doctors held a meeting today also and we are trying our best," he said.
The driver of the pool car, who is hospitalised, has been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, a senior police officer said adding that "he will be arrested once discharged from the hospital".
"The driver does not have a driving licence. We (police) also did not find any proper documents of the vehicle as it is still in the name of the previous owner. We are taking proper action against the present owner of the vehicle," he said.
Police, citing "no permission from hospital authorities", stopped BJP MP Locket Chatterjee from entering the SSKM hospital to see the three children admitted there.
"I came here only to see the children. I came here after informing authorities. Why are they stopping me? When the mayor and other leaders can come here to see them then why cannot I see them...
"I came here not only as an MP but also as a mother. There is no need to do politics," Chatterjee said.
The three injured children were rushed to the city-based SSKM's Trauma Care unit through a green corridor created by police.
Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that the motor vehicle department has found certain technical issues in the car.
The speed governor of the vehicle was detached... "this is clearly a violation," he said.
A team forensic experts also conducted tests at the accident spot on Saturday.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)