More than 100 people were killed and another 350 injured after a fireworks display set off explosions inside the grounds of the Puttingal Devi temple in Kollam, Kerala.
The incident happened during the Hindu New Year celebrations, which saw thousands of devotees attend, despite warnings from the district administrator who had not given permission for the fireworks show to go ahead due to noise and pollution complaints. Yet many temples in the area are run by wealthy and powerful trusts who have been known to disregard such regulations.
A man who was injured in a fire at Puttingal Devi temple, ties a bandage around the head of another injured man inside a hospital ward in KollamSivaram V/ ReutersPeople stand next to debris at a temple in Kollam in the southern state of KeralaSivaram V/ ReutersPeople stand next to empty fire cracker shells inside the compound of a temple after a fire broke out at the temple in KollamSivaram V/ Reuters
Police have detained five employees of the fireworks manufacturer, who were hired to oversee the running of the show at the temple.
Grieving relatives of victims of the fire were seen walking among the debris within the temple grounds, searching for their loved ones. The scale of the tragedy has sparked outrage among locals, who have demanded that fireworks displays should be banned in crowded places. The chief of state unit of the Indian Medical Association, A V Jayakrishna, told Reuters that he was planning to file a petition before the Kerala High Court, curbing the use of fireworks.
Men who were injured in a fire at Puttingal Devi temple, rest in beds inside a hospital ward in Kollam in the southern state of Kerala, IndiaSivaram V/ ReutersA man who was injured during the fire sits with a relative at a hospital in KollamSivaram V/ ReutersPeople gather among debris and building wreckage of the Puttingal Devi Temple in ParavurManjunath Kiran/ AFP
Family members and injured victims sleep at the Kollam Distict HospitalManjunath Kiran/ AFP
An Indian survivor is treated at a hospital following a fire at the Puttingal Devi TempleAFP/ Getty Images
Relatives makes enquiries with a hospital staff member at the entrance to the mortuary of Kollam District HospitalManjunath Kiran/ AFPPeople gather around a damaged section of the templeSivaram V/ ReutersIndia's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi arrives at a hospital to meet the injured victims of a fire in Kollam in the southern state of KeralaSivaram V/ ReutersPatients recuperate after their admission to The Kollam District Hospital near ParavurManjunath Kiran/ AFPA man looks out from a boundary wall with an image of a Hindu deity in the compound of Puttingal Devi templeSivaram V/ ReutersPeople gather inside the compound of a temple in KollamSivaram V/ ReutersPolice sit in front of a damaged building at the Puttingal Devi Temple in ParavurManjunath Kiran/ AFPDecorations are strewn around the Puttingal Devi Temple in ParavurManjunath Kiran/ AFPPeople gather in front of a damaged building at The Puttingal Devi Temple in ParavurManjunath Kiran/ AFPAn injured victim of the deadly fire explosion sits on a hospital bed at the Kollam Distict HospitalManjunath Kiran/ AFPMedical officials and bystanders use a trolley to transport an injured man from a vehicle into a hospital in Paravur after the explosionAFP/ Getty ImagesOfficials look on as an excavator moves debris from a collapsed building after an explosion and fire at the Puttingal Devi Temple in ParavurAFP/ Getty Images
