Puri: The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha’s Puri mounted to 13 after four of the injured people died, a senior official said Sunday.
A total of 17 people are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
A source said that four firecracker traders were detained from the Nimapara area in connection with Chandan yatra firecracker explosion incident. The traders are being interrogated by police, the source added.
It can be mentioned here that a total of 30 people were injured in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath’s ‘Chandan Yatra’, a ritual, on the night of May 29.
According to information received from the Health & Family Welfare Department, three injured people died since late Friday night, the official said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.
The Puri collector has taken steps for the payment of ex-gratia, the official said.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu, who is also the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), has started a probe into the incident.
Meanwhile, Puri Police said it registered a suo motu criminal case and an investigation is underway.
PNN