Puri Firecracker Explosion: 4 More Succumb To Burns, Toll Mounts To 13

Puri: The  toll in Puri’s Chandan Yatra firecrackers explosion incident rose to 13 on Sunday after four more injured succumbed to burns.

According to the Health Department, 17 more patients are currently under treatment in different hospitals. “The Collector, Puri, has already taken steps for payment of ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased persons,” it added.

Three persons had initially died while 30 were injured in the explosion in a firecracker stockpile during the religious event on Wednesday. The toll mounted to six on Friday as 3 more injured succumbed to the burns while another three died on Saturday.

The deceased include an 18-month-old baby boy, a four-year-old girl, a six-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy. The others are in the age group of 15-38 years.

The injured were initially admitted to Puri district headquarters hospital, but later shifted to the SCB Medical College in Cuttack and hospitals in Bhubaneswar for specialised treatment as their condition worsened. Doctors attending to the injured, including several minors, said some of them have sustained over 90% burns.

Special relief commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu is expected to visit the special circuit house in Puri on June 5 and conduct an inquiry into the lapses which led to the fire mishap during fireworks display near Narendra tank when hundreds of devotees had gathered to witness Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings.

Most of the persons who sustained injuries belonged to Khandia Bandha Sahi, located at the extreme end of the Narendra tank.

Meanwhile, Puri police have registered a suo motu case against Chandan Bhoi of the locality, who was illegally bursting firecrackers along with a few others. The blast was triggered after one of those crackers landed on the pile of explosives. No permission was obtained to burst firecrackers, the TNIE reported, quoting sources.