Kollam fire tragedy: 5 temple officials surrender

They were reportedly absconding.

The investigation is  underway to fix accountability for the Puttingal temple tragedy. The houses of contractors and committee members were raided. Explosives were seized during raids from godowns and intensity of explosives is yet to be ascertained.

Locals had informed police that there were excessive explosives this time.

A police case was filed against 30 people including members of the board that administers the shrine, while authorities, running nearly 1000 Hindu places of worship, said they will not accept a ban on fireworks, media reports said.

Very early on Sunday morning, 10,000 people were present at the Puttingal Devi temple, about 70 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, to watch a fireworks display at a major annual festival that coincides with the start of the Hindu new year. 

The display began at midnight and continued for four hours. Then suddenly, a cracker fell onto a shed where the fireworks were stored, sparking a string of powerful explosions that blew the roof of the administrative block of the temple and caused another building to collapse.

The Travancore Devaswom Board, in charge of nearly 1,000 temples, said it will not obey a ban on fireworks, and that it is up to the government to ensure public safety.

Fireworks had been banned by local officials in Kollam, but the temple went ahead with a competition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Kollam on Sunday with a team of doctors to help state authorities cope with the large number of injured.