Parag Sawant, 7/11 train blasts victim, dies after 9yrs in coma

Parag Sawant, who was injured in the 7/11 serial train blasts in Mumbai, died at PD Hinduja Hospital in Mahim on Tuesday morning after battling his injuries for nine years. Doctors at the hospital said that he was in a vegetative state for all these years.

In 2013, Sawant had shown signs of improvement but his condition deteriorated later, said doctors. Sawant underwent multiple operations for brain treatment and had been on supportive care. He underwent physiotherapy for a few years.

Dr BK Misra, consultant neurosurgeon of the hospital, said 36-year-old Sawant, who was injured in the blast at Mira Road station, was brought to the hospital with severe head injuries.

“He was in deep coma for about two years and then his condition gradually improved into a semi-conscious state where he would understand simple commands,” Dr Misra said in a statement.

Officials at PD Hinduja Hospital said in a statement that at 5:30am a nurse checked Sawant and his condition was stable.

“Later at 6:00am his (oxygen) saturation levels dropped and he was put on oxygen. He had a sudden respiratory arrest for which the CPR team conducted all the resuscitation measures,” said the official statement released by the hospital.

The 7/11 Mumbai suburban trains serial blasts, carried out in a span of just 11 minutes, targeted the crowded suburban services during the evening peak hours as bombs kept in pressure cookers went off in north-bound locals on Western Railway.

A total of 209 commuters were killed and another 700-plus injured in the most deadly attack on Mumbai’s lifeline at Bhayander, Borivali, Jogeshwari, Khar Road, Bandra, Mahim and Matunga Road, while one unexploded bomb was found by police and defused at Borivali.

Two years ago — in May 2013 — Amit Singh, who was injured in the serial blasts, had succumbed to his injuries at Jaslok Hospital, Peddar Road.

Sawant, a resident of Bhayandar, is survived by his parents, wife and seven-year-old daughter. He was working as an assistant sales manager in a firm. His wife Priti has been given a job with the Indian Railways.