Puttingal Temple Tragedy: Disaster Hit Kerala Mandir Opens

Fireworks on display at Puttingal temple in Kollam. (Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

The Puttingal Devi temple, where a fireworks disaster killed 114 people opened on Sunday to devotees for the first time after the accident.

With devotees looking on, temple priest Unnikrishnan Nampoothiri opened the temple and offered the customary prayers, residents said.

A huge pile of fireworks exploded in the early hours of 10 April at the temple in Paravur town, killing 114 people and leaving more than 350 injured.

While a concrete building nearby where the fireworks had been stored came crashing down, the temple itself was not affected by the disaster.

The temple administration committee consists of 15 members, of which seven are now in police custody. The others, including a woman member, are on the run since the disaster.

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