Eyewitnesses of the Kerala accident told the story.
Kasargod district of Kerala… The annual Kaliyattam festival was being celebrated here on Monday at the Anjutambalam Veerarkavu temple in Nileshwaram. More than 1500 people gathered here. It is also called Kerala Temple Festival. The fireworks started here at night. Many firecrackers were kept in a warehouse in the temple premises so that they could be exploded later. At the same time, some people were also setting off fireworks near the same store. Then, a spark that came out during the fireworks fell on the firecrackers kept inside the store. Because of this, the remaining firecrackers began to explode.
It was 12:30 at night. When the firecrackers started bursting one after another, the shop caught fire. Many people were present outside the store. He had no chance to recover. During this time people started running for their lives. But more than 150 people were injured in this arson attack. They were all rushed to the nearest hospital. The fire team was informed.
Rescue teams arrived at the scene and took all the injured to the hospital. In view of the worrying situation, senior officials of the district administration, including the district collector and police chief, reached the spot. The health status of 8 people injured in the accident remains critical. All the injured have been admitted to hospitals in Kasaragod, Kannur and Mangaluru.
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The roof flew, the wall shook
Eyewitnesses stated that during the explosion even the wall of the building shook and the roof sheet of the shop also flew away. Many people were injured as they dispersed after the strong explosion. There was a lot of smoke there. That’s why people didn’t even know where to go and where not to go. A student who was undergoing treatment at the hospital said that when bursting cookies a spark fell, after which this serious accident occurred. The student said: My sister and I were also injured in this.
fireball
Another witness said: We saw a big fireball. The explosion was so loud that it felt like my eardrum had burst. Many people were burned in this and many people were injured while running in the stampede. Everyone was running. Nobody understood what was happening. More than 1,500 people were present there. Eyewitnesses also alleged that the temple committee officials did not take the matter seriously when the accident occurred.
Young man burned up to 80%
District Collector Impashekhar said the condition of eight people is critical. The collector said that among them, Sandeep’s condition is very serious. Sandeep, who suffered 80 per cent burns, was shifted from Pariyaram Medical College to a private hospital in Kozhikode in the morning. Five seriously injured people were admitted to Pariyaram Medical College and Kannur MIMS hospitals. Many people returned home after receiving treatment in the hospital.
FIR against 8
The Neeleshwaram police have registered a case against seven temple committee officials and a firecracker businessman named Rajesh. A case has been registered under the non-bailable section. The police clarified that the firecrackers were placed carelessly. Kasargod district collector Impashekhar said the firecrackers were stored without permission. Investigation is ongoing into the matter.
