Indian temple blaze leaves dozens dead, hundreds injured

RESCUE workers are sifting through a Hindu temple in southern India where at least 110 people died when a fireworks display — an unauthorised pyrotechnic display that went horribly wrong — swept through a temple packed with thousands for a religious festival.

The death toll so far from the pre-dawn fire at the Puttingal Devi temple complex in the village of Paravoor, stood at 110 people with more than 380 others hurt, said police officer, Unnikrishnan.

Scores of devotees ran in panic as the massive initial blast cut off power in the complex, while other explosions sent flames and debris raining down, a witness said.
Many people were trapped. “It was complete chaos,” said Krishna Das of Paravoor.
“People were screaming in the dark. Ambulance sirens went off, and in the darkness no one knew how to find their way out of the complex.”

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.

Police were searching for 15 members of the temple board who fled after the accident.

Police were investigating for possible charges of culpable homicide, punishable with life imprisonment, and illegally storing a cache of explosives. They detained five workers for questioning.

“Five workers have been detained for questioning,” Kollam police chief P. Prakash told AFP by phone.

“These are not formal arrests. Once they are questioned, only then we will know their involvement and take further steps.” Police will investigate who was responsible for the fireworks display going ahead even though local authorities had refused permission, he said.

The Kerala government has already ordered a judicial inquiry into the disaster and police have registered a criminal case against temple authorities.

Prince William took a moment during a gala ball to express grief over the Hindu temple fire that left more than 100 dead in south India.

The Duke of Cambridge was speaking at a gala ball held at Mumbai’s iconic Taj Palace Hotel, after he and his wife, Catherine, arrived for a weeklong visit to the region.

Press Trust of India quotes William as saying to the guests: “Catherine and I would like to offer our condolences to all those affected by the terrible fire at the temple in Kollam. I know all of you in this room will join us in the sentiments.”

Thousands were packed into the temple complex when the explosion erupted, before spreading quickly through the temple — trapping people inside.

Images of huge clouds of white smoke billowing from the temple were broadcast by local TV channels.

“It came like a storm, throwing everyone to the ground. There were bodies all over the place and the injured were writhing in pain,” said Anish Kumar, who had gone with his friends to see the display at the Puttingal Devi temple in Kollam district.

“I was horrified to see hundreds of men and women on the ground lifeless,” said Kumar, who lost one of his friends in the disaster.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the accident as “heart-rending and shocking beyond words” and toured the complex and met the injured in a hospital.

“The incident is so grave that it is very difficult to describe in words. People who were 200 metres away were also hurt,” Modi said.

“And right now the doctor was telling me that some of the blasts were such that some peoples’ bodies were blown apart.”

An injured boy rests on a bed at the Kollam district hospital. Picture: AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi

Six ambulances had been parked outside the temple complex as a precaution. They were used to rush the injured to hospitals in the nearby cities of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Local villagers and police pulled out many of the injured from under slabs of concrete.

Many of the buildings within a kilometre of the temple were damaged with cracks in the walls or broken window panes from the impact of the explosion.

As day broke, thousands of anxious relatives reached the temple in search of their loved ones.

Many wept and pressed police officials and rescue workers for information on their family members.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by doctors, was flying to Kerala to meet with the survivors and victims’ families.

At one of the main hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, senior physician Thomas Mathew said that judging from injuries, a stampede was also likely to have occurred at the temple.

“There were few women or children among the injured. Most were men,” Mathew said.

Resident Jayashree Harikrishnan said the explosions sent huge chunks of concrete flying as far as a kilometre away.

“Huge pieces of concrete were flying through the air. Chunks landed in our yard,” she said.

By morning, firefighters had brought the blaze under control, officials said.

Rescuers were sifting through the wreckage in search of survivors, while backhoes were clearing the debris and ambulances ferried the injured to nearby hospitals.

Every year, the temple holds a competitive fireworks display, with different groups putting on successive light shows for thousands of devotees gathered for the last day of a seven-day festival honouring the goddess Bhadrakali, a southern Indian incarnation of the Hindu goddess Kali.

This year’s competition was happening without permission, after the state’s High Court banned competitive light shows at temples. State Labor Minister Shibu Baby John said the incident would be investigated, and the victims would be compensated.