1 killed, 9 injured in cracker accident at temple festival

According to the police, villagers of A Mottur in Pochampalli Taluk perform special pujas at the Vinayakar temple on the eve of no moon day every month. Lighting of crackers is an integral part of the festivities. When crackers were burst during the festivities late on Saturday night, the sparks accidentally fell on a pile of crackers that were stacked inside the temple. 

Immediately they started exploding. Scared villagers began to run helter-skelter to save their lives. The few police personnel who were posted there could not control the crowd. Adding to the chaos, a portion of the temple collapsed, leaving Mariappan and a few others caught in the debris. 

While Mariappan died on the spot, the injured persons including Muniammal (47), Susi (10), Sumathi (30), Palani (50), Mahendran (56), Mahalingam (48), Murugan (55) and Thangavel (52) were rushed to the Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri Government hospitals. 

Mariappan’s body was then taken to the Pochampalli Government Hospital for post- ortem. Forensic experts were asked to check the chemicals used in the explosives. Pochampalli police registered cases against three persons for causing death due to negligence and handling explosive substances without precaution.  

On the directions of Krishnagiri Collector C Kathiravan, sub collector Arun visited the spot and began inquiries into the incident on Sunday. Animal Husbandry Minister P Balakrishna Reddy visited the injured persons who were admitted at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Dharmapuri on Sunday.