Puri fire incident: Toll mounts to four; 26 others undergoing treatment

The death toll in the firecracker explosion in Odisha's Puri mounted to four on Friday after another person succumbed to injuries, a senior official said.

Three persons, including a minor, had died and 33 others were injured after a stockpile of firecrackers exploded during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival in Puri on Wednesday evening.

Another injured person has died in hospital, while 26 others were undergoing treatment, a statement issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an administrative-level inquiry into the incident, and announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.

The Collector, Puri has already taken steps for payment of Rs 4 lakh each towards ex-gratia assistance to the next of kin of 4 deceased persons, the SRC statement said.

An additional chief secretary-level officer of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu, who is also the special relief commissioner, has started a probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, the Puri Police said it has registered a suo motu criminal case and an investigation is underway.