This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/10/india-temple-fire-kollam-deaths-kerala-vishu

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 8 Version 9
Scores killed in India as fire breaks out at temple in Kollam Kerala temple fire leaves scores dead after stray firework sparks blasts
(about 7 hours later)
A large fire at a crowded Hindu temple complex in the south Indian town of Kollam has reportedly left more than 84 people dead and 200 injured. Emergency rescuers are sifting through the wreckage of a Hindu temple in Kerala after a huge fire caused by a fireworks display tore through the complex and killed nearly 100 people.
The incident took place at 3.30am as thousands of worshippers had gathered to celebrate the Hindu new year festival Vishu at the Puttingal temple, in Kerala state. Indian authorities deployed emergency personnel from the air force, navy and national disaster response force on Sunday to help firefighters, police and local hospitals after the blaze at the crowded Puttingal temple in Kollam, southern India.
Kerala’s chief minister, Oommen Chandy, said 97 people, many of whom had been trapped inside the temple, had died and 245 were injured. Local reports put the number of injured at 350, but this could not be immediately confirmed.
Pictures from Puttingal temple in Kollam (Kerala) when fire broke out that claimed 75 lives, 200 injured. pic.twitter.com/v0pyVFNcVBPictures from Puttingal temple in Kollam (Kerala) when fire broke out that claimed 75 lives, 200 injured. pic.twitter.com/v0pyVFNcVB
State home minister Ramesh Chennitala said the fire started when a stray firework hit a store of fireworks inside inside the temple complex. Police said that the fire, which began at around 3.30am local time during the Vishu festival to celebrate the Hindu new year, began after a stray firework fell onto a pyrotechnic storeroom, causing a major explosion.
Dynamite sticks had been recovered from the storeroom, which may explain why the fire spread so quickly, they said. An estimated 6,000 people had gathered for the celebrations when the incident occurred.
Some reports suggested the explosions also caused a roof to collapse, crushing worshippers inside. Krishna Das, a resident of Paravoor village, said he had started to walk away from the temple as the fireworks display was about to end when he heard a deafening explosion followed by a series of other blasts.
“I had been in the temple just a few minutes before watching the fireworks,” Das said. He said he had seen scores of people running away from fires and falling chunks of concrete and plaster from the temple building.
As the first explosion was heard, power to the complex was cut, he said. “It was complete chaos. People were screaming in the dark. Ambulance sirens went off, and in the darkness no one knew how to find their way out.”
Jayashree Harikrishnan, a local resident, said successive blasts had sent “huge pieces of concrete flying through the air. “Chunks landed in our yard,” she said.
Footage from the fire showed huge clouds of smoke rising from the temple and relatives weeping as they tried to find their relatives in the chaos. A video posted on Twitter showed fireworks exploding into the sky as blast after blast shook the temple and flames erupted.
The nearby Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital opened extra wards to cope with the number of patients, many of whom arrived with more than 50% burns, according to the hospital’s superintendent, D Mohandas.
Local television footage showed burns victims being brought into the hospital on stretchers, and doctors and nurses rushing them to operating rooms. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, was expected to visit the hospital.
He tweeted:
Fire at temple in Kollam is heart-rending & shocking beyond words. My thoughts are with families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.Fire at temple in Kollam is heart-rending & shocking beyond words. My thoughts are with families of the deceased & prayers with the injured.
Large crowds had come together at the temple to watch a fireworks display. A judicial enquiry has been opened, and forensic experts are on the ground in Kollam. Police have registered a case against two people who organised the festival for conducting the fireworks display.
Reports said thousands of people were packed into the temple and the narrow lanes around it in the southern state of Kerala for the display that began at midnight and went on for hours. Fireworks are banned in the district, and a local official has said that special permission had not been granted for the display. Police have raided the home of a man who is believed to have supplied the fireworks to the festival organisers.
One of the crackers fell on a shed where the fireworks were stored, setting off the fire, local television reported. By Sunday morning firefighters had managed to control the blaze, allowing rescue and relief teams to start looking for survivors.
Some reports suggested the explosions caused a roof to collapse, crushing worshippers inside. The air force has deployed six helicopters in the area to help transport victims to nearby hospitals. Medical teams from nearby naval bases were also helping burns victims on the ground.
Successive explosions from the building storing the fireworks sent huge chunks of concrete flying as far as a kilometre, according to resident Jayashree Harikrishnan. Kollam beach lies about 70km north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. The port town attracts thousands of tourists each year, with its panoramic views of the Arabian Sea. It is the second largest port in Kerala after Cochin.
“Huge pieces of concrete were flying through the air. Chunks landed in our yard,” she said.
Krishna Das, a resident of Paravoor village, said he had started walking away from the temple as the fireworks display was about to end when a deafening explosion followed by a series of blasts went off.
“I had been in the temple just a few minutes before watching the fireworks,” Das said. He said he saw scores of people running away, chased by fire and chunks of concrete and plaster from the temple building.
Das said as soon as the first explosion was heard, a power outage hit the complex.“It was complete chaos. 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,” he said.
Local TV channels broadcast images of huge clouds of white smoke billowing from the temple, as fireworks were still going off in the night sky. They also broadcast footage of people, some clutching children with burn injuries, being taken to hospitals.
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.
The Times of India said the conclusion of Puttingal temple festival is marked by fireworks and that one of the fireworks ignited firecrackers stored in a shed, leading to a huge explosion.
Images from the scene posted on Twitter showed a huge fireball erupting into the night sky.
A video posted on Twitter showed fireworks exploding into the sky as blast after blast shook the temple and flames erupted.
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 honoring 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 labour minister Shibu Baby John said incident would be investigated, and the victims would be compensated.
Kollam beach lies about 70km north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
The port town of Kollam attracts thousands of tourists each year, with its panoramic views of the Arabian Sea. It’s the second largest port in Kerala after Cochin.
This is a breaking news story please check back for updates...