"It was a horrifying accident," said Mathrubhumi reporter Pradeep Narayanan, who was at the scene during the Nileshwar temple fire accident in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to Pradeep, over 1,000 people were present in the area when the accident occurred. The explosion of a stockpile of fireworks, which caught fire, injured many, including women, children, and the elderly.

"There was a large crowd near the temple premises. We could hear fireworks going off in the background while people stood around. However, we never realised that such a large amount of fireworks was stored in the building. The explosion occurred just 10 metres from where I stood. I fell, and five or six people landed on me. People were screaming and running. When I got up, all I could see was a ball of fire and loud noise. Women and infants were injured, as many of them were standing close to the veranda near the shed where the fireworks were stockpiled," he recounted.

According to officials, around 180 people were injured. Usually, fireworks are stored behind the temple, and they consist of small crackers. This time, however, there were more aerial fireworks. “The area where the fireworks were set off had also been changed. Some crackers were being burst near a location adjacent to a building. It was later revealed that the fireworks for Tuesday evening display had been stored in that building, which was unknown to most. The sheets and walls of this building burst into pieces,” Pradeep added.

Many other eyewitnesses claimed that there was a single explosion, and in just a matter of seconds, it was all over. According to them, the noise lasted for less than a minute. It was only when they saw injured people being carried away that they realised what had happened.

The fire accident

The accident occurred at 12:15 a.m. on Tuesday, during the fireworks display at the Moovalamkuzhi Chamundi Theyyam. Sparks from the nearby fireworks fell on the stockpile stored in a building, resulting in a massive explosion.

The fireworks were stored in a sheeted building near the temple wall. Among the injured were infants and elderly people. Locals rushed to get the burn victims to hospitals. Some of the injured were taken to Kasaragod District Hospital, while those with severe burns were transferred to Kannur Government Medical College Hospital and private hospitals in Mangaluru and Kannur.