KOLLAM: A day after the horrendous fireworks accident at Puttingal Devi temple in Paravur, the death toll has risen to 109 with three more persons succumbing to their injuries on Monday. As many as 14 bodies kept at various hospitals in the district are yet to be identified, out of which three will be sent for DNA test.
Meanwhile, 20 people including the temple authorities were charged with attempt to murder and sections under explosives Act by the police. The fire tragedy had taken place when a cracker storehouse near the temple caught fire during an unauthorised fireworks associated with the temple festival on Sunday morning.
The Chief Explosives Controller Sudarsan Kamal who visited the site earlier on Monday had found blatant violation of the stipulations prescribed under the Explosives Act. He expressed concern over the huge amount explosives used at the temple.
It was beyond the permissible limit. “The samples have been sent for further investigations. The usage of prohibited chemicals as explosives can be confirmed only after we get the results,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Crime branch team under DGP S. Anandakrishnan also visited the spot for preliminary investigation. The team is also probing the failure of higher authorities including the police officers in preventing the accident even after the collector had issued a ban order. Health secretary Dr. K. Elangovan who visited the patients at the district hospital in Kollam reviewed the situation. He said there was no such situation to shift patients to other hospitals for treatment.
A high level meeting held at the hospital in his presence decided to send unidentified body parts for DNA test. Doctors under Dr. Peeyush from Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohya hospitals in Delhi also visited the patients. A joint medical team which will function 24/7 has constituted at the hospital.
A medical team including a psychologist and ENT specialist has been deployed near the mishap site to provide assistance to the people. The district collector has ordered supply of drinking water to the neighbouring houses, to avert problems caused by consumption of contaminated water.
