A total of 1,052 persons have died of heart attack in Gujarat in the last six months, with 80 per cent of the deceased being in the 11-25 age group, state education minister Kuber Dindor said on Friday.

In view of the rising number of heart attacks, nearly two lakh school teachers and college professors will be provided training in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a crucial lifesaving intervention during such medical emergencies, Dindor said.

“As many as 1,052 persons have died due to heart attack during the last six months in Gujarat. Nearly 80 per cent of them were in the age-group of 11 to 25 years and these students and youngsters were not even obese. The 108 ambulance service receives 173 cardiac emergency calls per day,” said Dindor while addressing the media in Gandhinagar.

Youngsters are living in fear because a majority of the heart attack victims were in their age group, he claimed.

“We have seen how people died (due to heart attack) while playing cricket or taking part in garba (a traditional dance form popular during Navratri festivities) in the last six or seven months. I urge teachers to take part in this CPR training camp so that they can save lives,” the minister said.

Under this initiative of the state Education Department, CPR training camps will be conducted at 37 medical colleges between December 3 and 17 to provide training to nearly two lakh school and college teachers, he said.

Some 2,500 medical experts and doctors will be present at these training camps and certificates will also be provided to the participants, Dindor added.

Such training was given earlier to Bharatiya Janata Party workers and police personnel in the state, he pointed out.