Nizamuddin event returnee dies of COVID-19; Dharavi toll 8

(Eds: Updates death toll)

Mumbai, Apr 15 () A 55-year-old resident ofDharavi, who had attended the last month's religious meet atDelhi's Nizamuddin, succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday whileundergoing treatment, said a senior BMC official.

The man was undergoing treatment at Sion Hospitalsince April 10 after testing positive for coronavirus, hesaid.

With this, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Dharaviincreased to eight, said the official of the BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC).

The sprawling slum colony at the heart of Mumbai hasso far recorded 60 coronavirus cases, five of them in the last12 hours, he said.

All the new patients - three males and two females -are from the Mukund Nagar locality of Dharavi, the officialsaid.

"Contact-tracing of high risk contacts of new patientsis under progress," the BMC official said.

He said the man who died on Wednesday was staying inan apartment opposite Dr Baliga Nagar in Dharavi, one of thebiggest slum areas in Asia, and had attended the religiousgathering in Nizamuddin.

The mega gathering at the Tablighi Jamaat'sheadquarters in Nizamuddin had emerged as a key source ofCOVID-19 spread in the country. KK GKRSY RSY