The explosions blew the roof of one of the temple buildings and damaged other buildings nearby.
Frantic families searched for the bodies of their missing relatives Monday, a day after a fireworks display at a southern Indian temple turned into a massive fire that killed at least 110 people and left nearly 400 wounded.
Police filed charges of attempted murder and attempted culpable homicide against the temple authorities and the men who held the license for the explosives because of their illegal possession of a large amount of explosives.
Police said they have also detained five people associated with the fireworks contractor, even as they searched for temple managers who have either fled or have been killed in the fire. The government ordered a high-level probe into the tragedy.
The horrific fire occurred just before dawn Sunday when some 15,000 people had gathered at a temple on the outskirts of Kollam, in the southern state of Kerala, to watch the spectacular fireworks display, an annual ritual ahead of Hindu new year celebrations this week.
One of the firecrackers fell on a makeshift shed inside the temple complex where a large amount of fireworks were stored, triggering a series of explosions.
The explosions blew the roof of one of the temple buildings and damaged other buildings nearby. Officials said that the death toll is likely to rise.
Eyewitnesses said dozens of bodies charred beyond recognition were still lying outside the hospital as relatives searched for their missing family members.
"I saw burnt pieces of human bodies kept in the plastic bags in the hospital," Rarish Tankamani Ravindran, a 28-year old social worker, said. "Doctors were consoling relatives by telling them that DNA tests will be conducted to confirm the identity of the dead bodies and limbs that are badly burnt, and they will be handed to the family members after confirmation."
Rescue workers said work in the hours after the tragedy was impaired because there was no electricity at the temple grounds. There was also no temple manager present at the site to guide them.
"Bodies were in so many pieces. We did not know which limb belonged to which body," said V. Muralidharan, a banker who went to volunteer at the site on Sunday. "Today, grieving families are in shock, they are also confused. Most of them are devotees of the temple, they have enjoyed the fireworks ritual for years. They are not able to make sense of this tragedy."
The chief minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, said adequate medical facilities and supplies were available and the patients are getting "the best medical care," in the hospitals.
Officials said that they had refused permission to the temple to conduct what is called a "competitive fireworks display" this year. But temple managers went ahead with their plan anyway, after assuring officials that they would use small quantity of fireworks as a mere token to the tradition.
"How it happened, whether they concealed the explosives, how they moved it to this place, these have to be ascertained in the inquiry," V. R. Vinod, a senior district official told reporters.
In spite of the devastating tragedy, many temples and devotees said the annual tradition of fireworks must continue.
On Monday, a statement from the Travancore Devasam, a power temple board that oversees the activities of hundreds of temples in the state, said it will not obey any government ban on fireworks display. It added that it is the government's responsibility to ensure public safety.
Gopalan Rajamani, a 59-year old university employee, watched the temple fireworks for three hours late Sunday. He said he left for home when he felt sleepy. But his 18-year old nephew was "enjoying the display too much" and decided to stay.
"My nephew's entire back was burnt in the explosion. He is now in the hospital and in a lot of pain," said Rajamani, speaking on the telephone from the city hospital. "I come every year to enjoy the fireworks, this temple is very sacred to my family. I don't want the fireworks display to be banned. But maybe some safety precautions should be maintained."
But for those who live near the temple, the annual fireworks have become an increasing source of discomfort.
An 80-year old woman, A. Pankajakshi, had written several letters to the temple and the city authorities complaining against the fireworks that cause noise pollution and distress to the elderly living in the neighborhood. She wrote a letter this year again listing her concerns, after which the officials refused permission to the temple.
Sunday's explosion caused the collapse of a ceiling and a wall in her home.
"These are not minor fireworks. They go on for eight to nine hours and are so loud that it sounds like dynamite," said Anitha Prakash, her daughter. "My mother lives here alone and is a heart patient. This traumatises her every year."
Prakash said that the fireworks have become more and more aggressive and trophies are given to the groups that launch the loudest and the most powerful displays.
"My mother was born in this town, she understands and respects the temple traditions. But it used to be a small affair back then lasting an hour or so," Prakash said. "But now it is a matter of prestige for different temple teams and has become a competitive sport. It has gone out of control and dangerous."
© 2016 The Washington Post
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