Fireworks accident at temple in Kerala's Kasargod sends hundreds fleeing in panic

Over 150 people including women and children were injured in a fireworks accident during the Anjuambalam Veerarkav Temple festival near Neeleswaram.
Fireworks explosion at the Anjuambalam Veerarkav Temple festival near Neeleswaram
Fireworks explosion at the Anjuambalam Veerarkav Temple festival near Neeleswaram Photo | Screegrab\PTI
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KASARGOD: Hundreds of people watching the Theyyam ritual at the Anjuambalam Veerarkav Temple festival near Neeleswaram were shattered when a firecracker explosion broke out at the temple premises.

Shocking mobile phone footage, broadcasted by local medias in Kerala, revealed the severity of the accident and the distress of the helpless crowd gathered at the village temple.

In the footage, a large crowd could be seen gathered on one side of the temple, with a Theyyam artist, dressed in ritualistic red attire, performing amidst them.

A shocking burst was heard, and a ball of fire and smoke appeared on the other side of the shrine, an eyewitness recalled.

People, including women and children, were seen scattered, running around, and urging others to move away. Many of the survivors said they were yet to recover from the shock and said they still had no clarity on what happened at midnight.

"We were watching Theyyam. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of explosion and fire at some distance. Luckily, we could move to a safer place," an eyewitness told to the media on Tuesday.

Everything was over within seconds. Several people suffered injuries in the stampede after the tragedy, said another eyewitness.

"A large number of people were present near the shed. It was really difficult for them to run away to safety when the explosion happened," said another eye witness.

A spark from a cracker burst might have fallen into the shed and ignited the heaps of crackers stored there, said a spectator.

Over 150 injured, eight critical in fireworks accident 

Over 150 people were injured, including eight in serious condition, in the fireworks accident during a temple festival near Neeleswaram here late Monday, police said.

The injured have been taken to various hospitals in Kasargod, Kannur, and Mangaluru.

The District Collector, on Tuesday, said that those who were seriously injured had 80 per cent burns. A case has been registered. Samples have been collected from the site, he added.

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.

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