This was how Anish Kumar described the explosions and a blaze that killed at least 110 people at Puttingal Devi temple in Kollam district’s Paravur on Sunday. As details of this man-made tragedy, and the audacity with which rules were flouted, became apparent, the house that was most sought after, was that of eighty-year-old woman, Pankajakshi Amma.
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More than 100 persons have lost their lives and almost 400 people injured in the incident which was caused by fireworks at the temple complex.
Modi said that 200,000 rupees (roughly $3,000) would be paid to each of the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees (around $770) to the families of the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the scene of the fire Sunday, hours after the explosion.
Kollam district magistrate A. Shainamol said people living in the neighbourhood of the temple had complained about the danger of these fireworks in the past.
Local lawmaker N.K. Premachandran said a fireworks competition traditionally held every year between different groups had been staged at the temple, drawing thousands to watch. People were running everywhere, and burnt bodies were on the ground.
“There seems to have been a gross violation of explosives norms”, said Kamal, who in charge of monitoring use, storage and licensing of explosives.
They were later released, but police didn’t say whether they were able to help authorities track down the 15 temple board members who had fled after the accident.
The fire started when a spark from the fireworks show ignited a separate batch of fireworks stored in the temple complex, said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, the top elected official in Kerala state.
Chandy had yesterday said that government could impose regulations on the display of fireworks in state temples but cannot ban them completely.
“Many bodies have been charred [beyond recognition]”, he said.
It’s not uncommon for people to pray at temples early in the morning in southern India, Prakash said.
The Kerala government has ordered a investigation into the tragedy, while criminal cases have been registered against the temple’s directors and the company who provided the fireworks.
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“We had informed the police that three cars were in the temple compound and one of them is loaded with explosives, which might have shifted from the Puttingal Temple following the incident”.
