Tragic Firecracker Explosion at Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra Claims Six Lives

The death toll from a firecracker explosion during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra in Odisha's Puri has risen to six. Twenty-four individuals were injured, with two succumbing to their injuries. Authorities have commenced an inquiry, while the Puri Police have registered a suo motu criminal case.

The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha's Puri mounted to six on Friday after two more persons succumbed to injuries, a senior official said.

Twenty-four people have been injured in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra on Wednesday night.

''Two other injured persons succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, while 24 others are undergoing treatment,'' a statement issued by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said.

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

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

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

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