Puri, June 1: The death toll in the firecracker explosion in Odisha’s Puri district reached to eight on Saturday after another person succumed to injuries while 22 others are undergoing treatment in several hospitals in the state.
The deceased has been identified as Shankar Behera of Arakhakuda in the district.
Three devotees including a minor had died while over 30 suffered serious burn injuries in the fire mishap that occured during Chandan Yatra festival at Narendra Tank near Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri.
The incident occurred as a splinter from fireworks hit a heap of firecrackers on the Devi Ghat on Wednesday where the longest annual festival of Jagannath Temple of Puri was being observed.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an inquiry into the recent mishap and has declared an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the families of the deceased.
The statement from the State Revenue and Disaster Management Department mentioned, "The Puri collector has already initiated the process for providing Rs 4 lakh each as ex gratia assistance to the families of the deceased."
Puri Police have also confirmed the registration of a criminal case and are currently conducting an investigation. Satyabrata Sahu, an officer at the additional chief secretary level in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, who also serves as the SRC, has commenced a probe into the incident.
