Puri: The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Puri mounted to nine this evening after another person undergoing treatment succumbed to their injuries.
Out of 30 people were injured in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath’s Chandan Jatra on Wednesday night, nine persons have died so far and 21 others including some seriously injured are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
“As per the information of the Health & Family Welfare Department another one person died due to unfortunate fire tragedy in Puri. In this connection, the total death toll rose to nine. Presently 21 patients are under medical treatment in different hospitals,” office of Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said in a statement. The State Government is closely monitoring the situation, it 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 official said.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu, who is also the SRC, has started a probe into the incident.