One dead, 25 severely injured in Puri firecracker explosion

At least 15 of the injured have suffered severe burn injuries and have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in a critical condition

Updated on: May 30, 2024, 10:25:57 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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One child died and over two dozen devotees sustained burn injuries when crackers kept for fireworks display in Puri exploded during ‘Chapa Khela’ of Lord Jagannath and his siblings as part of Chandan Yatra in Odisha on Wednesday evening.

Explosion in firecracker display in Puri

At least 15 of the injured have suffered severe burn injuries and have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in a critical condition.

Officials said huge quantities of firecrackers were kept near a pond for the celebrations.

“Some youths were bursting the crackers when one splinter landed on the pile of firecrackers, triggering a blast. Many people, including a few children standing nearby, sustained severe burn injuries in the explosion. Sparks from exploded crackers fell on devotees who had gathered there to watch the celebration in the holy pond,” Puri SP Pinak Mishra said.

Locals rushed the injured to the district headquarters hospital first.

There was no fire safety measure in place, one local said.

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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