The Kerala Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on Monday confirmed that death toll in the tragic fire incident at the Puttingal temple in Kollam district has risen to 109.
Confirming this to ANI, he also said that 383 people have been injured in the devastating fire.
Meanwhile, a seven-member team led by Chief Controller Explosives Sudarshan Kamal is inspecting the site of temple fire tragedy.
Chandrakumar, the Circle Inspector of the Paravur Police Station, confirmed reports that the organisers of the event were denied permission for open display of fireworks.
"We have experts and they will be starting the enquiry. Apart from that the magisterial enquiry would be headed by the district collector and that is what I am associated with. That enquiry has to submit its report within five days," Chandrakumar told ANI.
"It is correct that we have denied permission for fireworks open display. Despite the fact the programme was conducted. That is what we have to enquire how they conducted it, how did they conceal the explosives, how they moved to this place and other things as well are to be ascertained," he added.
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Earlier today, five people were detained in connection with the deadly inferno.
"Five people have been detained in connection with the fireworks show," Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) T.P. Senkumar told ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took stock of the inferno yesterday, sought a detailed report from the state administration as to how the fire broke out and caused damage to life and property on such a large scale.
after taking stock of the situation in Kollam, Prime Minister Modi said that he had assured Chief Minister Oommen Chandy of complete aid from the Centre and added that assistance would be provided if the serious patients need to be shifted to Mumbai or New Delhi for further treatment.
"The incident that happened today is extremely saddening. Nobody can imagine that death can come in such a manner. So many people have been severely injured that too on such a large scale. I visited the site of the incident today, went to the hospitals where the injured have been admitted and also spoke to the Chief Minister," Prime Minister Modi told the media outside the burns intensive unit of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.
A team of 15 burn specialist doctors from All India Institute of Medical Science and other hospitals from Delhi accompanied the Prime Minister to Kollam.
Preliminary inquiries by the police revealed that sparks from an ignited high-intensity pyrotechnic display spread to a storehouse (Kambapura) adjoining the temple, where a large cache of explosives was stored, resulting in a massive blast.