Kerala: A major explosion and fire swept through a temple in southern India on Sunday killing at least 102 people after families and others had gathered for a fireworks display.
More than 250 others were injured in the fire that engulfed the temple complex where hundreds had come together during the night for a festival celebrated in Kerala state marking the Hindu new year.
Firefighters and police battled through the night at the Puttingal Devi temple in the coastal town of Paravur to douse the fire and rescue the injured.
Television footage showed a series of large explosions and fireworks erupting as plumes of smoke filled the night air after about 3am local time. The injured were also seen arriving at nearby hospitals in cars and in ambulances in chaotic scenes.
Speaking to IANS, Lallu S.Pillai who was covering the temple festival forAsianet News TV, said it only took a few minutes for the disaster to take place. "I was watching the event unfold about 150 metres from the terrace of my friend's home. The firework display was only around half an hour to finish when a spark of an already lit cracker landed in the concrete building that stored the high potency crackers. In few minutes, the building came crashing down and we felt the place shaking," said Pillai.
"Then it was absolute chaos and pieces of concrete were scattered all over the place and some of it were found over 500 metres away in a taxi stand," Pillai added.
Numerous homes in half a kilometre radius have been damaged.
"Now the situation is under control... the police are on the spot," Kerala home minister Ramesh Chennithala told NDTV.
Eyewitness said that the fireworks display started close to midnight and when nearing its close, a spark from a cracker landed in a building that had stored some high potency crackers and it caught fire, causing a massive explosion.
Legislator P.K. Gurudasan said there was no firework competition but only a firework display, generally associated with any temple festival.
State Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar said the injured have been brought to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital.
"Numerous people are under treatment in hospitals at Kollam. The health department is fully geared to provide the necessary treatment," said Sivakumar.
Kerala temple fire heartrending: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the fire at Kerala temple as "heartrending and shocking".
"Fire at temple in Kollam is heartrending and shocking beyond words. My thoughts are with families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," Modi said in a tweet.
The Indian premier said he is dispatching his health minister and he, too, would fly to Kerala soon to "take stock of the situation".
Meanwhile, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala announced financial assistance to the dead and the injured. He said judicial probe would be ordered soon.
The fire has been brought under control and heavy equipment machineries are now working to clear the debris.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will be reaching the accident site shortly and has already asked the chief secretary to get in touch with the Election Commission to allow the state government to announce immediate relief to the victims.
Kollam Lok Sabha member N.K.Premachandran, who visited the site, demanded that all those who have been injured should be given free treatment with adequate compensation.
Chief Minister Chandy said the temple officials had gone ahead with the fireworks display despite being denied permission because of safety concerns.
"That is correct. District collector of Kollam denied sanction for this fireworks (display)," he said when asked after whether permission had been given.
Investigation ordered
The Kerala government ordered an inquiry into the cause of the fire, as a senior police officer said it is suspected to have started when sparks flew onto the fireworks lined up ready for the show.
"During the time of the fireworks, it is believe that a spark flew onto the panel where the pyrotechnics were being kept and then it all exploded," assistant commissioner of police for Kollam district K. Laljy told AFP.
The Press Trust of India reported, however, that the fire erupted after firecrackers kept in a storeroom on the temple's complex ignited.
Fires and stampedes are common at temples and during religious occasions, often because of poor security arrangements and lax safety standards.
The fire comes as Kerala, governed by the Congress party, which is in opposition at the national level, heads to the polls in one of five state elections being held in India this month and next.
