Temple Tragedy: Steps on to defuse explosives found in parked cars

The condition of 27 among the 351 injured continued to remain critical today. After a high-level review meeting, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told newspersons here that 351 injured were still undergoing treatment at various government and private hospitals where they would get treatment free of cost.  A sum of Rs 20 crore had been sanctioned for the relief operations.

He said 13 bodies were charred beyond recognition and they would be subjected to DNA test to establish their identity.  However, police received complaints of 21 man missing cases from the locality.

The Chief Minister also convened an all party meeting here on April 14 to discuss the issue of imposing a ban on the use of fireworks in connection with temple festivals. A decision would be taken on the basis of the consensus emerged from that meeting.

Mr Chandy also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government for offering all assistance to the state in the hour of crisis.

Meanwhile, seven temple committee members, who went missing after the fire tragedy, surrendered before the police. Committee president P S Jayalal, Secretary J Krishnan and others were  were being questioned by the Crime Branch team at Kollam.

Police sources said 20 people, including those involved in the fireworks display, were being questioned by the top police officials in view of the reports that potassium chloride and other banned substances were used during the firework display.

The sources said tonnes of explosive materials were used in the fireworks display and the gravity of the incident would have been much higher if the explosion occurred in the beginning of the show. Though the fire broke out only towards the fag end when almost 80 per cent of the explosives were consumed, the devastation was felt in an one km radius.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said a team of explosive experts from the Centre had reached Kollam to defuse the explosive materials found in three cars. 

The explosives were believed to have been brought there in connection with the fireworks display.

Mr Chennithala said a direction had been issued to the police take stringent action against those who store or sell explosive materials in the state without valid licences. Raids would be carried out throughout the state to seize explosive materials that were stored illegally, he added.