Eyewitnesses of the accident in Kerala tell the story.
Kasargod district, Kerala… The annual Kaliyatam festival was celebrated at the Anjutambalam Veerarkavu temple in Nileshwaram on Monday. More than 1,500 people gathered here. It is also known as the Kerala Temple Festival. Fireworks start here at night. There are many firecrackers stored in the storeroom inside the temple for future use. Meanwhile, someone else set off fireworks near the same store. Then, sparks from the fireworks fell on the firecrackers stored in the store. Then, the remaining firecrackers began to explode.
The time is 12:30 pm. When firecrackers went off one after another, the store was on fire. Many people gathered outside the store. He had no chance of recovery. During this time, people started running to save lives. However, more than 150 people were injured in this arson incident. All were rushed to the nearest hospital. The fire brigade has been informed of the incident.
Rescue crews rushed to the scene and took all the injured to hospital. In view of the alarming situation, senior officials of the district administration, including the district magistrate and the district police chief rushed to the spot. The eight people injured in the accident are still in critical condition. All the injured were admitted to hospitals in Kasaragod, Kannur and Mangaluru.
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The roof was blown off and the walls shook
Witnesses said the explosion shook the walls of the building and blew off roof panels of the store. After the huge explosion, many people fled and were injured. There was a lot of smoke there. That’s why people don’t even know where to go and where not to go. A student who was receiving treatment at the hospital said that the major accident occurred when sparks fell while setting off firecrackers. The student said – My sister and I were also hurt by this.
fireball
Another witness said – We saw a big fireball. The explosion was so strong that it felt like my eardrums were about to burst. Many people were burned in the stampede, and many others were injured while running. Everyone is running. No one understood what was happening. There were more than 1,500 people on site. Eyewitnesses also claimed that temple committee officials did not take the matter seriously when the accident occurred.
Young man suffered 80% burns
District official Impashekhar said eight people were in critical condition. Among them, Sandeep’s condition was very serious, the Collector said. Sandeep, who sustained 80% burn injuries, was referred to a private hospital in Kozhikode from Pariaram Medical College in the morning, while the five seriously injured people were sent to Pariaram Medical College and Kannur MIMS Hospital. Many people returned home after receiving treatment in hospitals.
FIR against 8
Neeleshwaram police have registered a case against seven officials of the temple committee and a firecracker dealer named Rajesh. The case has been registered under the non-bailable section. Police clarified that the firecrackers were stored accidentally. Kasargod district collector Impashkar said the firecrackers were stored without permission. The matter is under investigation.
