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Update: At least 100 killed, 380 injured in fire in south India

More than 84 people were killed and another 200 injured during a fire that erupted at a temple in Kollam city in southern India early Sunday morning, a Kerala police official said.

At least 100 people were killed and another 380 injured during a fire that erupted at a temple in the southern Indian state of Kerala early Sunday morning.

The fire broke out at about 3:30 a.m. local time in the village of Paravoor, sending huge chunks of concrete flying as far as half a mile, the Indian Express reported.

The fire was caused when sparks from an unauthorized fireworks show that ignited a separate batch of fireworks being stored for a celebration of Vishu, a Hindu new year festival, according to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

An inquiry was opened up about the incident on Sunday where police were investigating why the fireworks had been there in the first place. Fireworks are banned in Kollam and permits for them had been denied for the festival, the Guardian reported.

“There was no permission to even store the fireworks,” stated Chandy.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who flew to Kerala with a team of doctors on Sunday, posted on Twitter that the fire is “heart-rending and shocking.”

Image: Twitter/ @cctvnews

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