An explosion and blaze sparked by fireworks have killed at least 100 people at a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Kerala, police say.The fireworks, which were to be used to celebrate a local new year festival, exploded about 03:30 (22:15 GMT Saturday). A building at the temple then collapsed, causing many of the deaths. More than 200 people were injured. Officials said permits for the display had been refused after safety fears.As morning broke, hundreds of people arrived at the temple, in the coastal town of Paravur, in search of relatives and friends while emergency teams used bulldozers to clear the area looking for survivors.Thousands of people were gathered at the complex for the festivities. There were scenes of chaos as emergency teams were slow in reaching the area in Kollam district, witnesses said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has flown to Kerala, said the incident was “heart-rending and shocking beyond words”.A team of specialist doctors has been sent from Delhi amid reports of horrific burns suffered by those injured. Several were said to be in critical condition in local hospitals. Many of the dead were charred beyond recognition and would have to be identified by DNA tests, Kerala police chief TP Senkumar said. One of the victims was said to be a biker hit by a piece of flying concrete 1km away from the scene.”Huge pieces of concrete were flying through the air,” said resident Jayashree Harikrishnan. “Chunks landed in our yard.” Another witness said the complex had been hit by a power outage after the first explosion, complicating rescue efforts even further. “It was complete chaos,” resident Krishna Das told Associated Press.”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.” The fireworks had been stored ready for celebrations of Vishu, a Keralan festival marking the Hindu new year. The local district magistrate had denied permission for the display to be held this year because of safety concerns and complaints from residents. The Kerala government has ordered an investigation, and the police are planning to take action against the temple administration and the contractors who were putting on the display. “There was no permission to even store the fireworks,” Kerala’s Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said. The explosion happened as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Mumbai for a seven-day tour of India and Bhutan. They had been informed about it and sent their thoughts to all who were assisting the victims, Kensington Palace said.Fireworks and firecrackers are commonly used at temple festivals and other public events and accidents are not uncommon. Kerala is in the midst of an election for a new state assembly but political parties have called off campaigning as a mark of respect for the victims.
