More than a dozen killed in fireworks explosion at religious festival in northern India

A religious festival in India’s northern state of Punjab has ended in tragedy as a trolley carrying fireworks was set ablaze and exploded, killing over a dozen people.

The blast rocked a “nagar kirtan” Sikh religious procession near Pahu village in the Tarn Taran district on Saturday.

Fireworks were an essential part of the festivities, but at some point the sparks landed on a trolley, which carried a large load of pyrotechnics, causing it to explode. 

Dhruv Dahiya, Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), said that, according to eyewitnesses, “14 to 15 individuals died on the spot,” while three others were rushed to hospital in critical condition.

Tarn Taran is known as a holy place for the Sikhs. There are around 27 million Sikhism followers in the world, with almost 80 percent of them living in Punjab where the religion originated in the 15th century.

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