CRI听力:Indian PM Visits Temple Hit by Massive Blast, Fire in Southern State

An illegal fireworks show using lethal explosives as crackers in the Puttinggal Devitemple is being blamed for the blast and fire early Sunday.

Modi was accompanied by 15 medical professionals and officials of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, including its president Amit Shah.

The tragedy occurred at about 3.30 a.m. in the coastal town of Peravur when a spark from an exploding firecracker landed on a building where a vast quantity of bomb like crackers had been stored.

The result was a series of explosions and a massive blaze that blew away the structure and devastated the temple premises.

About 10-thousand people were present watching the fireworks spectacle, which began midnight Saturday in an annual event to mark the temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Kali.

Witness reports say it took only a few minutes for the fire to engulf the area, burning to death many people in a short period of time.

Several houses in a half kilometer radius were also destroyed or damaged. A stampede followed the blaze that witnesses say made the aftermath a scene of utter chaos.

The Indian army, air force and the navy mobilized for rescue operations and to provide medical treatment. Medical institutions across the country are launching blood donation efforts and dispatching medical staff to the disaster-struck zone.

Police have arrested five employees who worked for a father-son contractor duo behind the fireworks show. Reports say the ill-fated show had been previously denied permission by the Kollam district authorities.

The father suffered major burns while the son is in the hospital with 50 percent of his body covered in burn injuries.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced a probe into the tragedy, which is the worst in the state in more than six decades.

Deadly accidents in religious sites are common in India, especially during festivals.

In October 2013, over 100 people were stampeded to death at a Hindu temple in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.