Puri: The death toll in the explosion of a stockpile of firecrackers in Odisha’s Puri mounted to 11 after two of the injured people died, a senior official said Sunday.
A total of 19 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.
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.
PNN
