- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The district collector said the fireworks storage facility at the temple was located close to the place where the crackers were being burst
By: Shajil Kumar
OVER 150 people were injured, including ten seriously, in a fireworks accident during a temple festival near Neeleswaram in Kerala late last night, police said on Tuesday.
The injured have been taken to various hospitals in Kasargod, Kannur, and Mangaluru, they said.
The accident occurred at Veerarkavu Temple near Neeleswaram.
The District Collector, on Tuesday, said that those who were seriously injured had 80 per cent burns.
“The cause of the accident is being ascertained. Samples have been collected from the site. A case was lodged,” he said.
He further said that according to a preliminary probe, the fireworks storage facility and the place where the crackers were being burst were close by.
“The safety precautions were not taken. The requirement of maintaining a minimum distance of 100 meters between the two was not followed. No permission was taken either for storage of fireworks,” he added.
According to the police, it is suspected that the accident occurred when the fireworks storage facility near Veerarkavu Temple caught fire.
The accident occurred around midnight, they said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday said she was disturbed by the news of the firecracker accident at a temple in Kasaragod district where over 150 people were injured and eight of them seriously.
“Deeply disturbed by the tragic firecracker blast in Kasargod, which has left hundreds injured, many in critical condition. My thoughts and prayers are with those wounded and their families during this difficult time. I urge all INC workers to mobilise and support relief efforts wholeheartedly. Wishing for the swift and full recovery of all affected,” she said on ‘X’. (PTI)
