Hospitals across Delhi treated more than 100 people for firecracker burns and eye injuries on Sunday night as Diwali celebrations swept the Indian capital. Doctors at Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reported the heaviest caseloads.

Safdarjung Hospital, which runs one of north India's largest burns departments, had reserved dedicated beds and extended emergency staffing ahead of the festival. Its doctors said most patients arrived with burns to the hands and face. Many had been holding lit crackers or leaning over devices that failed to ignite.

AIIMS's Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences treated a separate wave of eye injuries, many involving children. Ophthalmologists at the centre said rockets and bursting crackers caused corneal burns and penetrating injuries.

The most serious cases required surgery to save the patient's sight. Delhi Fire Services said it received a sharp rise in fire calls through the evening, mostly linked to firecrackers.

The injuries came despite court-backed restrictions on the type and timing of firecrackers permitted in Delhi and the wider National Capital Region. Doctors at the capital's government hospitals had urged families before the festival to keep water nearby, supervise children and avoid synthetic clothing. Most of those admitted were boys and young men, according to staff at the burns units.

Physicians also warned that the health toll would extend beyond the emergency wards. The Central Pollution Control Board's monitors recorded a steep overnight rise in fine particulate matter as smoke settled over the city. Doctors expect an increase in respiratory admissions in the days after the festival, particularly among children, older people and those with asthma.