Kerala temple fire: It was like a massive bomb explosion, says eye-witness

Kollam: "It was just like somebody had dropped a massive bomb inside the house. The roof of our house has now collapsed due to the impact of it. When we came back it was a horrible sight. We broke down. We were speechless. Body parts were strewn all around. A limb was hanging from the broken wall. Everything was smashed," said Anita Prakash an eyewitness to the Puttingal temple fire.

Anita Prakash, who is a citizen of the United Kingdom, is vacationing at her house right next to the Kerala temple where a blaze early Sunday morning killed at least 102 people.

Speaking to CNN-IBN, she blamed the local authorities for not banning the firework display despite opposition from residents.

She said, "My mother had complained to the Kollam Collector. He had visited the spot. We heard that the firework had been banned. Yesterday afternoon half a dozen angry men from the temple came to our house and abused us. They cursed us and swore at us. They said that all of us should die. They forced us to tell the Collector that we have no objection to the fireworks. But, refused to do so. It was an illegal act."

Anita and her family were asked to go away from their houses on Saturday evening as part of safety measures. Fortunately they left home without fighting with the temple authorities and it saved their lives.

Anita said, "It was like a bomb blast. First there was a huge explosion. There were several explosions followed by that. It was like the explosion of a huge bomb. We initially thought that it was a gas cylinder blast. We panicked. It was looking like a war zone. People were screaming and shouting. For us it took several minutes to regain our composure".

Terming it a man-made disaster, Anita said, "Residents have been opposing it for years. But they were threatened. The government did nothing to stop this. They should take the responsibility."

Anita argued that Saturday night's disaster could have been easily avoided if the temple authorities had stopped it after one person injured two hours before the major explosion.

Anita added, "Two hours before that an ambulance was called. Somebody was injured. But they were still carrying on with it. Why? Who is responsible for the massive loss of human lives?"

At least 102 people have been killed and over 300 others injured in a major fire at a temple in Paravoor in Kerala's Kollam district on Sunday morning.