TIRUVALLA: Two people were killed and seven seriously injured when an illegal firecracker storehouse caught fire at the Prathyaksha Raksha Daiva Sabha (PRDS) headquarters at Eraviperoor in Tiruvalla at around 9 am on Saturday. The deceased have been identified as Gurudas, 45, of Madhavanchira Kizhakkethi, Karthikappally Mahadevikad, Alappuzha, and his wife Asha, 35.
According to District Collector R Girija, no official sanction had been given to store firecrackers at the building. A police team led by DSP Jacob Job collected scientific evidence from the site.Asha's brother Prabhakaran, 45, and Leelamani from Chirakkadavu have been admitted to Kottayam Medical College, while Swarnamma, Vijayakumary, Thejus, Abhijith and Pradeep are undergoing treatment at Fellowship Mission Hospital in Kumbanad. PRDS officials suspect foul play.
"We have no fireworks offering at our pilgrimage. The other day some unknown people burnt an autorickshaw here. There should be a proper investigation," the officials said.The annual festival of the PRDS is scheduled to conclude on Monday.