Puri: At least three persons lost their lives while more than 30 devotees sustained critical injuries following the explosion of crackers during the ‘Chapa Khela’ of Holy Trinity in Narendra Pond as part of the Chandan Yatra in Puri on Wednesday.
As per reports, one minor boy died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack and the other two persons breathed their last at private hospitals in Bhubaneswar while undergoing treatment.
The injured were admitted to Puri District Headquarters Hospital in a critical condition. However, they were later shifted to the SCB Medical College in Cuttack and other hospitals in Bhubaneswar after their condition deteriorated. Initially, patients were taken to the outdoor department and moved to the surgery ward. However, the hospital lacks treatment facilities for patients with burn injuries.
Sources said there was provision of bursting crackers on the occasion on the Devi ghat side of the pond. According to eyewitnesses, sparkles from exploded crackers fell on devotees, who had gathered there to watch the Chandan Yatra in the holy pond. Many devotees jumped into the pond to save their lives. Subsequently, local residents rescued them and sent them to hospitals.