Odisha: Death toll in Puri firecracker explosion rises to 8

A massive explosion occurred when huge quantities of firecrackers, kept for the celebration of Chapa Khela festival during Chandan Yatra, suddenly caught fire on Wednesday evening

Updated on: Jun 1, 2024, 17:34:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The death toll in the Wednesday’s firecracker explosion in Odisha’s Puri town when a stockpile of firecrackers kept near a pond caught fire rose to eight on Saturday with five persons succumbing to their burn injuries, officials said.

Police said some youths were bursting the cracker one after another when one cracker split off and landed on the pile of firecrackers. (ANI)

Puri superintendent of police (SP) Pinak Mishra said of the five who died today, two are minors. “Almost all of them had suffered 80-100 % burn injuries. The doctors had kept them in the ICU and then ventilators. But their condition turned worse,” said Mishra, adding 22 others are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

On Wednesday evening, a massive explosion occurred when huge quantities of firecrackers, kept near the Narendra Pond in the town for the celebration of Chapa Khela festival during Chandan Yatra, suddenly caught fire.

“Some youths were bursting the cracker one after another when one cracker split off and landed on the pile of firecrackers, triggering a blast. Many people, including a few children standing nearby, sustained severe burn injuries in the explosion. Sparkles from exploded crackers fell on devotees who had gathered there to watch the celebration in the holy pond. Many of them jumped into the pond in desperation,” said the Puri SP. Hours later, three of the injured had succumbed to the burn injuries.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.

“Two more people succumbed to their injuries in hospitals, while 22 others are undergoing treatment,” he said, adding a few more people are in critical conditions. Additional chief secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu has started a probe into the incident. The Puri Police said it has registered a suo motu criminal case and an investigation is underway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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