Kerala Firecracker Accident: Over 150 Injured, 8 Critical; Case Filed Against Temple Authorities

Over 150 people have been injured and eight people are in critical condition after a firecracker accident during a temple festival near Neeleswaram in Kerala's Kasaragod on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in the early hours at Anjoothambalam Veererkavu temple in Nileshwar. As per Manorama, 154 people have been injured out of which eight people have suffered over 80 per cent burn injuries.

Kasaragod Collector Inbasekar K said 154 persons were injured. Of them, 97 were admitted to hospitals, with eight suffering more than 80% burn injuries.

Kasaragod Collector Inbasekar K said that patients were admitted across several hospitals: 18 at AJ Hospital in Mangaluru; 18 at MIMS Hospital in Kannur; 17 at Aishal Hospital in Kanhangad; 16 at Kanhangad District Hospital; 10 at Sanjeevini Hospital, Kanhangad; five at Kannur Medical College Hospital, Pariyaram; five at Manzoor Hospital, Kanhangad; three at Arimala Hospital, Kanhangad; two at MIMS in Kozhikode; two at KH Hospital, Cheruvathur; and one at Deepa Hospital, Kanhangad.

Going by the early investigations, the firecracker detonation area was only a few feet away from the storage room, despite regulations mandating a minimum separation of 100 meters. Officials suspect this violation could have contributed to the severity of the accident, the report added.

The incident occurred during "Kulichu Thottam," a preparatory ritual for the Moovalamkuzhi Chamundi Theyyam, an annual event marking the Theyyam season in North Malabar. The ritual involved the use of torches made from dried coconut leaves, which likely sparked the explosion by igniting firecrackers stored nearby. Although temple committee members stated that only low-intensity firecrackers were used, the blast was powerful enough to blow away the tin roof of the storage area.

Thousands of people had gathered at the temple and the blast was captured by devotees on their cellphones. The clips have now gone viral on social media sites.

It is reported that the temple committee had stored fireworks worth Rs 30,000. The authorities are now questioning committee members to assess possible negligence and taken the Temple president and Secretary into custody.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against eight temple committee members under non-bailable sections for conducting fireworks without permission and violating guidelines. The FIR states that the careless display led to a fire in the fireworks storage area.

In view of this incident, the celebrations have been cancelled. However, the temple had prepared food for approximately 6,000 people.