Kerala temple fire: Survivor recounts events, says it was hell

Kollam, Apr 11: It was hell and I cannot describe it says Jayakumar who was in a state of shock. A blast, then a fire and before we knew it there were bodies lying all over the place.

Jayakumar who was present at the Puttingal temple in Kerala managed to escape unhurt and he could consider himself lucky. "I had gone by myself to witness the festivities at the temple," says Jayakumar.

"For some reason, I decided not to take my family along with me. I would do that every year, but this time, I went alone," he said.

I can never get over it

Jayakumar was part of the 15,000 strong crowd that had gathered at the temple on Sunday. The fireworks display had begun and people were watching enthusiastically. All of a sudden there was a loud explosion and before we knew it, people were screaming.

Many died in a building collapse. The concrete slab came crashing down and people were buried under it, Jayakumar recalls. There was really no where to run. In fact it took many a while to even react as they did not know what had hit them, he also recalls.

Chaos at the hospital

The scenes at the hospital in Kollam were heart rendering. Several hospital staff who were on leave as it was a Sunday rushed back to duty following the pouring of patients. People with burn and head injuries were pouring into the hospital.

Doctors at the hospital say that this was one of the most challenging assignments they have ever undertaken. People were in pain, shock and grief and each one had to be handled differently says Dr Rajesh of the Kollam Hospital.

OneIndia News