At least 154 people have been injured in a firecracker accident at a temple in Kerala's Kasaragod district. The condition of eight of these is critical. The incident occurred at Anjuttambalam Veerarakavu temple after midnight on Monday. While more than 1500 people gathered at the temple to participate in the traditional Thayyam festival. According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred when a spark from one firecracker fell on another firecracker kept in a room of the temple and it exploded.
154 people injured in the blast
According to officials, one person is in critical condition and eight people are seriously injured. A total of 154 people were injured in the firecracker explosion and the stampede that followed. Some of them are seriously injured. 87 people are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. It is said that the temple management had kept light crackers worth about Rs 25,000 for the festival, which were to be used on Tuesday night.
The woman told what happened
A woman injured in the incident said that as soon as sparks fell in the firecracker room, everyone started running away. He said, I and some other people fell and got injured. But my sister survived safely. Local MLA M Rajagopal described the incident as extremely unfortunate and spoke to the District Collector. He told that the firecrackers were light but the spark fell on another firecracker which caused the accident.
Kasaragod MP Rajamohan Unnithan said the accident occurred after midnight when firecrackers were being burst to celebrate the festival. Two members of the temple committee have been detained and the police have started investigating the incident. Sources say that the temple management had not obtained the necessary license for bursting firecrackers.