Puri: 3 dead, 32 hurt as fireworks explode during Lord Jagannath’s festival
Devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers when suddenly a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion
At least three persons, including a minor, died and 32 were injured after a stockpile of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath’s Chandan Jatra festival in Odisha’s Puri on Wednesday (May 29) night.
Hundreds of people had gathered on the banks of Narendra Pushkarinee, a water body, to witness the rituals when the accident happened on Wednesday night, a senior officer said.
“One boy succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College in Cuttack and two others died while undergoing treatment in private hospitals in Bhubaneswar,” he said.
How it happened
A group of devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers. Suddenly, a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion, they added.
The burning crackers then hit the people gathered at the spot, and some of them, even jumped into the waterbody to save themselves, police said.
The injured people were admitted to various private and government hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, said Health Secretary Shalini Pandit.
Patnaik visits patients
Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, Khurda Collector Chanchal Rana, and Pandit visited different hospitals late Wednesday night to supervise the treatment of the injured people.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday morning visited a private hospital in Puri to meet the injured persons.
Patnaik talked to doctors of the health facility and enquired about the condition of the patients. He expressed grief over the incident and directed the officials concerned to ensure proper treatment of the injured.
State to bear treatment cost
“Several teams of doctors are trying their best to save the lives of the injured people. As the first 48-hour period is critical for such cases, we are monitoring their health condition,” Pandit told reporters this morning.
She said that the state government is bearing the treatment cost of all those injured in the accident.
Prayers from Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed shock over the incident. She prayed for the quick recovery of those who were injured in the accident and extended solidarity towards the neighbouring Odisha government.
“Shocked to know about the devastating firecracker incident at Puri during Lord Jagannath’s Chandan Yatra, leading to injury of several persons. Pray to the Lord for their quick and complete recovery. Solidarity to Odisha Government,” she posted on X.
(With agency inputs)
