Kerala temple tragedy: Five people detained in connection with Kollam inferno

Kollam: Five people have been detained in connection with the deadly inferno at the Puttingal temple in Kollam district in Kerala killing at least 106 people.

"Five people have been detained in connection with the fireworks show," Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) TP Senkumar toldANI.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who took stock of the inferno yesterday, sought for a detailed report from the state administration as to how the fire broke out and caused damage to life and property on such a large scale.

At least 106 people were charred to death and at least 350 were injured in a fire accident at Puttingal temple during a festival at Paravur in Kollam district early morning yesterday.

Preliminary inquiries by the police revealed that sparks from an ignited high-intensity pyrotechnic display spread to a storehouse (Kambapura) adjoining the temple, where a large cache of explosives was stored, resulting in a massive blast, the impact of which, the local people said, was felt over 1-km radius of the temple.