(A212) The 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attacks and the Changing Pattern of Violent Injuries

Abstract

Introduction

The 26–29 November 2008, terrorist attacks in Mumbai, have been referred to as “India's 9/11”. Violent events in Mumbai over the past six decades were researched to understand the changing pattern of violent injuries.

Methods

A complex, retrospective, descriptive study on terrorist events was performed, using event reports, legal reports, newspaper reports, and police and hospital lists. The distribution of victims to various city hospitals, the critical radius, surge capacity, and nature of interventions required were assessed. The profile of those killed in the attacks was noted by sex, nationality, and occupation. Besides the overall mortality and case-fatality ratio, the critical mortality was calculated based on the death rates among the critically injured.

Results

In 51 violent events in Mumbai over a 60-year period (1950–2009), 1,582 people were killed and 4,145 were injured. In the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008, the financial loss due to direct physical damage was INR 847,612,971 (US$18.5 million). Among those killed, the average age was 33.4 years, 80% were male, and 12% were foreign nationals. The case-fatality ratio for this event was 36.2% and the mortality among the critically injured (critical mortality rate) was 11%. Among the injured, 79% were male and the average age was 33.21 years (three months–85 years); 38.5% of patients arriving at the hospitals required major surgical intervention.

Conclusions

The injuries of violent events in Mumbai have been changing due to the use of heavy firepower and explosives. Strengthening the public hospitals for trauma care is a medical counter-terrorism response for future terrorist attacks. These attacks have affected the lives of the common person in Mumbai, in terms of increased security checks, alerts, and fear of further attacks. These are areas of further research.