Kollam: Thousands had gathered at the Puttingal Devi Temple at Paravoor in Kollam to celebrate the Kerala new year on Saturday night, when the spectacular fireworks brought in for their entertainment triggered a massive fire, killing 109 people. The following video captured the last few minutes of the fireworks display, roaring menacingly in the sky, the explosions straight out of a war scene, but the spectators are seen cheering loudly, oblivious to the danger it holds.
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Local eyewitnesses say that the deadly fire was caused by a ‘Sooryakanthi’ firework that did not go up as expected. It didn’t burn fully, but a weak spark from it fell on another inflammable device that was ready.
Some say the device that caught fire from the spark was in the hands of a worker. Others say that the device that was triggered by the stray spark was kept near the ‘padakkapura’ (the explosive store) leading to a series of explosions.
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The sparks from this explosive, they say, fell upon the 'padakkapura' and the entire stock went up in one big earth-shattering explosion.
This video captures the last few seconds of the chaos that broke out after explosions ripped through the temple complex while a a few locals were watching the fireworks from a distance.
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Smoke filled the sky as the devastating fire engulfed the 100-year-old Puttingal temple and hundreds of people, making it one of the worst tragedies Kerala has witnessed.
The entire area resembled the site of a huge bomb blast with dismembered and mutilated bodies scattered all over the temple premises. The walls of several houses and other buildings around the temple were shattered due to the explosion. Some people were also killed in the stampede following the incident.
