Neeleswaram temple fireworks accident: Death toll rises to four

Neeleswaram temple firecracker accident claims fourth victim, investigation underway, lack of safety measures highlighted.

The Neeleswaram temple firecracker accident has claimed a fourth victim, as 19-year-old Shibin Raj from Charavathur succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Monday (November 4, 2024) morning.

38-year-old K. Biju son of Chandran, a resident of Karinthalam, in Neeleswaram, undergoing treatment at MIMS hospital Kozhikode succumbed to his injuries on Sunday (November 3, 2024) evening. An auto driver, he died at the hospital around 9.45 p.m.

Earlier, Ratheesh of Kinavoor and Sandeep of Choyangode died on Saturday (November 2, 2024) night and Sunday (November 3, 2024) morning respectively.

The tragedy unfolded at Anjoottambalam Veerarkavu temple in Neeleswaram on October 29, when fireworks outside the storeroom were ignited, triggering an explosion inside where a large quantity of firecrackers was kept. The resulting blast injured 154 people, with 102 admitted to hospitals in Kannur, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, and Mangaluru.

Following the incident, the police registered cases against eight people, including the temple committee president, secretary, and two others, under various sections of the Explosive Substances Act and BNS. A special investigation team led by Kanhangad DySP, under the direction of District Police Chief D. Shilpa, is probing the accident. Preliminary findings indicate that fireworks were set off too close to the storage area, with investigators also pointing to a lack of adequate safety measures by the organisers.