Huge fireworks explosion kills at least 100 people in India
A massive fire in a Hindu temple in India has left more than 100 people dead and hundreds injured.
The fire was caused by a fireworks explosion at Puttingal temple in Kollam, Kerala. The death toll from the explosion is 106 people, but is expected to rise, according to the Times of India. At least 350 people have been injured.
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The explosion took place at 3:30 a.m. local time on Sunday, according to the Times. The publication reported fireworks began at 1 a.m. following a festival, but crackers that were being kept in a storage shed nearby also caught fire and exploded.
"A spark from the crackers being burst fell into the stack of crackers kept in a makeshift compartment at the ground, triggering the fire. The space was an open group and people could run away," a police official told NDTV.
It is believed at least 10,000 people were inside the temple for the New Year festival of Vishu when it was engulfed by flames.
Two helicopters were sent to Kollam to transfer injured people to hospital. Most of the injured have suffered burns.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Sunday he is currently heading to the region to see the damage firsthand. A team of doctors, including burn specialists, are attending the scene with him.
Krishna Das, a resident of Paravoor village, said he had started walking away from the temple as the fireworks display was about to end when a deafening explosion followed by a series of blasts went off.
"I had been in the temple just a few minutes before watching the fireworks," Das said. He said he saw scores of people running away, chased by fire and chunks of concrete and plaster from the temple building.
Das said as soon as the first explosion was heard, a power outage hit the complex. "It was complete chaos. People were screaming in the dark. Ambulance sirens went off, and in the darkness no one knew how to find their way out of the complex," he said.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
UPDATE: April 10, 2016, 6:47 p.m. AEST Death toll increased to 106 people.
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