Kollam fire tragedy: Death toll rises to 113 people, 24 seriously injured

Thiruvananthapuram: With one more person succumbing to injuries tonight, the toll in the Puttingal Devi temple tragedy at Kollam has gone up to 113. The latest victim was 40-year-old Manikandan from Kollam who died at the Trivandrum Medical College Hospital, hospital sources said. Earlier, 14-year-old Sabari, said to be the youngest victim of the Puttingal Devi temple tragedy, Satyan (55), from nearby Kazhakootam and Surendran (67), one of the fireworks contractors, had succumbed to injuries at the same hospital. [caption id=“attachment_2726198” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A damaged building after the Kollam fire. PTI[/caption] While Satyan had suffered 60 per cent burns, the two others had suffered 90 per cent burns, hospital sources said. Sabari’s weeping mother had been praying in front of the burns ICU at the hospital, hoping her young son would pull it through. But it was not to be and he succumbed to injuries this evening. The condition of 24 of the injured persons continues to be serious. A total of 1,039 persons were treated as outpatients in various hospitals in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. The fire tragedy at the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple complex took place during an unauthorised fireworks display early on Sunday after a spark from a firecracker fell on the storehouse containing crackers, triggering explosions.