NEW DELHI (dpa) – A teenager died and 235 people, mostly children, were hospitalized in Mumbai with an allergic reaction to colored powder during a Hindu festival, news reports said Friday. The victims, mostly children from the town's slums, complained of breathlessness, vomiting and rashes after throwing the colored powders at each other during the festival of Holi, which marks the advent of spring. A 13-year-old died late Thursday at the city's Sion hospital, where scores were admitted after the festivities, the IANS news agency reported. The hospital's dean Sandhya Kamat said 210 people had been admitted and three of the patients were in “serious” condition, the report said. Another 25 people were admitted to other hospitals. Doctors said the patients suffered an allergic reaction to chemicals in a particular batch, but some patients said they mistook a chemical dye for colored powder prepared for the celebrations. State authorities have ordered a probe into the incident. Although primarily a Hindu festival, Holi, popularly known as the festival of colors, is celebrated by members of most religious communities in India and widely in neighboring Nepal. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/zCmMA Tags: Color, Death, Festival, Hindu Section: Culture, Latest News, South Asia
