May 30th 2024.
Tragedy struck during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival in Odisha's Puri as a stockpile of firecrackers exploded, claiming the lives of three individuals and injuring 33 others. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik immediately ordered an inquiry and announced financial assistance to the families of the deceased.
A statement from the Chief Minister's office revealed that the inquiry would be carried out by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department's additional chief secretary, who also holds the position of special relief commissioner. According to a senior officer, one boy died at SCB Medical College in Cuttack, while two others passed away while receiving treatment at private hospitals in Bhubaneswar.
The explosion took place on the banks of Narendra Pushkarinee, a water body, where a large crowd had gathered to witness the rituals of Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra. Some devotees were also celebrating the festival by bursting firecrackers when a burning splinter hit the stockpile, causing the devastating explosion, as per Puri Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra.
Upon learning of the tragic incident, Chief Minister Patnaik visited a private hospital in Bhubaneswar to meet the injured victims. He spoke with the doctors and urged them to provide the best possible treatment to those injured. Later, he also met with the families of the victims and wished for their speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, Khurda Collector Chanchal Rana, and Health Secretary Shalini Pandit visited various hospitals late Wednesday night to oversee the treatment of the injured individuals. Jena informed the media that out of the 36 patients admitted to different hospitals, six have been discharged, three have succumbed to their injuries, and 27 are still receiving treatment.
The injured were taken to nine private and government hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar, and Cuttack, as confirmed by the health secretary. "Several teams of doctors are working tirelessly to save the lives of the injured. As the first 48 hours are crucial in such cases, we are closely monitoring their health condition," Pandit stated during a press conference.
She also added that the state government is covering the cost of the treatment for all those injured in the accident. "We received eight patients from Puri. One was brought in already deceased, two had severe burn injuries, and another was admitted with 65% burn injuries. They are currently being treated at the plastic surgery department. The other four patients have minor injuries and are admitted to the general surgery ward," shared Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, the superintendent of SCB Medical College and Hospital.
The Puri superintendent of police confirmed that a criminal case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. "We have gathered both scientific and physical evidence from the scene," he added. It was also revealed that the firecrackers were being set off without any permission from the authorities during Lord Jagannath's Chandan Jatra festival.
"We will take legal action against whoever is responsible for this tragedy," stated the Puri SP. Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain also mentioned that the person responsible for bursting the firecrackers had also sustained severe injuries and was currently receiving treatment in the ICU of a hospital. PTI.
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