A fire accident during a Theyyam performance at a temple near Neeleswaram last night (October 28) left 154 people injured, eight of them seriously, when firecrackers stored nearby exploded, police said on Tuesday (October 29).

Kasargod district police chief D. Shilpa announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the fire accident.

The district administration informed that the additional divisional magistrate has been directed to conduct a separate inquiry into the incident and also submit a report.

The incident occurred at the Anjoottanbalam Veererkavu temple near Neeleswaram in this northernmost district of Kerala, police said.

The Nileshwaram police have registered a case under the Explosive Substances Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The firecrackers were burst on the temple premises without any legal permission and the accident occurred due to their careless handling and negligence on the part of the accused, police said.

Eight people were arrested and four of them were detained, a senior police officer said.

Although the police earlier said that all those booked are members of the temple committee. They later clarified that one of them is a local who set off firecrackers.

The incident occurred when hundreds of people, including women and children, had gathered to watch Theyyam’s performance at the shrine.

Theyyam is a centuries-old ritual performance celebrated in temples and’kavus‘ (sacred groves) in the Malabar region (northern Kerala).

The district collector said on Tuesday that 80 per cent of those seriously injured had burns.

He further said that according to preliminary investigation, the storage place of fireworks and the place where crackers were exploded were nearby.

“Safety precautions were not taken. The requirement of maintaining a minimum distance of 100 meters between the two was not met. Permission for the storage of fireworks was also not obtained,” he added.

According to the latest official update, of the total of 21 people admitted to intensive care units, seven are on respiratory support and one person is seriously ill.