Neighbours remember the explosion with shudder

Kollam: People living near the devi temple at Puttingal remembers Sunday morning’s fireworks accident that claimed 109 lives with shudder.

There are as many as 25 houses close to the temple complex.  About 20 of them were damaged. Half a dozen of those houses suffered substantial damage from the shock and projectiles.

A woman living in one of the houses, which is close to the temple gates, said that she felt a tremor past 3 am. The House trembled and she thought that her kitchen had collapsed. She could see nothing because of power blackout. (The outage was the result of crashing of electric posts and snapping of the power lines). The child of her daughter who was sleeping upstairs woke up and started crying incessantly. 

In the morning, she found that windows of her house had gone off the frames. The screws had come off and were lying here and there. There was debris on her roof top.

G. Haridas, a trader living near the temple, said he saw a lot of smoke and fire as the store house of explosives (kambapura) caught fire. A rocket fell on an ice cream parlour and burst destroying the shop fully. Another fell on a car damaging it.

His House trembled and most parts of his house were damaged. Only his shop was saved. He had suffered damage of more than Rs. 1 lakh. He was wondering who would compensate him.

He said that an astrologer had warned the managing committee of heavy loss of life if they continued to disturb the temple.

B. Saijal, a retired defence personnel living near the temple, said that mishaps had started to occur from the start of the fireworks show at the temple. One person was evacuated after he suffered serious burns.  He had seen the ambulances moving out of the temple compound four times while he was watching the display from the rooftop of his house.

The explosion occurred after a skyrocket exploded at low attitude sending sparks in all directions.  The explosion was deadening and projectiles flew over his head. Soil and debris fell over him. Inside the house, cement fell from the ceiling on women in the house. It was darkness all over.

In the morning, family members saw the door open and initially though some thieves had entered the House. Soon, they discovered that the doors had been blown off and window panes had been broken.

He said that it was not unusual for cracks to occur during fireworks display at the temple in the previous years. Though the temple committee promised compensation to those affected, the money never came.

He said that he saw as many as 15 bodies spread on the ground near his house in the morning. Bus and autorikshaw drivers did a commendable job of taking the injured to the hospital.

On Monday, the temple compound was still scattered with debris and the remains of fireworks display. Abandoned vehicles, damaged furniture and what was left of make-shift shops lay here and there.

Several people living near the temple had complaints about the fireworks being held every year in connection with the Meenabharani festival.  However, only Pankajakshi had preferred a complaint with the Collector A. Shainamol. Her house had suffered damages in the past as well as now.  Usually, she keeps off the house during the fireworks at night.

The temple was a private one which was under receivership for long over dispute over its control. The present managing committee is controlled by the Nair and Ezhava communities. However, the Kurava community has some rights over part of the temple compound.  They were agitated over what had happened in the temple.  Some of them allegedly destroyed a new building being constructed in the temple compound for the managing committee last night.