Tragedy at Chandan Jatra: Firecracker Explosion Claims Four Lives

A firecracker explosion during the Chandan Jatra festival in Puri, Odisha has resulted in four fatalities and 33 injuries. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced an administrative inquiry and ex gratia payments of Rs 4 lakh to families of the deceased. The Puri Police have launched a suo motu investigation.

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.