13 Arrested in India in Connection With Fireworks Blasts at Kerala Temple

 A poster in the Indian state of Kerala shows three of the more than 100 victims of the explosion at Puttingal temple.
Thirteen people have been arrested in connection with the explosions that killed more than 100 during a fireworks display at a temple in southern India over the weekend, The Press Trust of India said on Tuesday.

T. F. Xavier, a police superintendent for Kerala, the state where the disaster occurred, said seven of those

arrested were officials at the Puttingal temple in the coastal district of Kollam, which hosted the fireworks display to celebrate the start of the new year on the Hindu calendar.

The death toll from the blasts on Sunday has risen to 112, with nearly 400 people injured, P. T. Chacko, the spokesman for Kerala’s chief minister, Oommen Chandy, said on Tuesday.

Mr. Chacko said the High Court of Kerala on Tuesday issued an order banning noise-generating fireworks at places of worship between sunset and sunrise and outlawing the use of heavy-duty explosives during fireworks displays.

Mr. Chandy has set a meeting of state leaders for Thursday to discuss a possible ban on fireworks at temples throughout Kerala, Mr. Chacko said.

Source:The NewYork Times