Puri firecracker explosion: Death toll mounts to 9

The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha's Puri mounted to nine after three of the injured people died, a senior official said on Saturday.

A total of 21 people are currently undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

A total of 30 people were injured 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 toll 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.

The Puri collector has taken steps for the payment of ex-gratia, the official said.

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.

Meanwhile, Puri Police said it registered a suo motu criminal case and an investigation is underway.