Puri: The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha’s Puri mounted to nine on Saturday after three more persons undergoing treatment succumbed to their injuries.
A total of 21 people are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
As per reports, around 30 people sustained injuries in the explosion that happened during Lord Jagannath’s ‘Chandan Yatra’, a ritual, on the night of May 29.
According to information received from the Health & Family Welfare Department, three injured people died since late Friday night, the official said.
“The total death count rose to nine. Presently 21 patients are under medical treatment in different hospitals,” the official said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Satyabrata Sahu, who is also the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), has started a probe into the incident.