Holi Mishap: 8 Sustain Burn Injuries In Firecracker Blast In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: In another mishap during Holi celebration in the state, 4 persons were injured in firecracker explosion in Puri district on Friday evening.

According to sources, people had gathered in a field of Bhagabatipur village under Balanga police to celebrate ‘Dola Melana’. As per tradition, people from Sainsha and Bhagabatipur had turned up along with the palanquins carrying the deities of respective places to the field for celebration of Holi.

After performing puja of the deities and playing Holi in day time, firecrackers were burst by different groups of the two villages in the evening. It is an annual affair in Bhagabatipur.

While around 2,000 people were witnessing the show, a firecracker exploded in an unusual way and its burning parts fell on those standing close to it. As a result, around 8 people sustained burn injuries.

Following the incident, the organisers stopped the programme and rushed the injured persons to Pipili hospital. Later, three of them, who sustained serious injuries, were shifted a hospital in Bhubaneswar.

Debasish Acharya, sarpanch of Sainsha panchayat said the condition of all the injured was stable and the situation at the festival site was under control.

Earlier in the day, two persons drowned  in Kharasrota River in Jajpur district while taking bath after playing Holi. Four others are still missing.