A fireworks display at the final match of a sevens football tournament in Kerala’s Malappuram went awry on the night of February 17, injuring at least 40 spectators including several children. The fireworks, meant for celebratory purposes, shot into the crowd and landed in the front rows of the packed gallery.
According to preliminary reports, the accident was caused by lapses in handling fireworks. The organising committee had arranged the display without safety measures and spectators were seated too close to the launch site with no fire force personnel present despite it being mandatory.
The incident occurred around 8:30 pm on February 17, just before the highly anticipated final match started. The firecrackers accidentally shot into the crowd, causing burns and injuries. Many spectators who fell to the ground amidst the chaos also suffered minor injuries while trying to find their way out.
Fire force was called in to control the situation and the organising committee attempted to proceed with the match, but protests from spectators forced them to halt the game. They later announced that the final would be rescheduled.
At least 40 people were injured, many of them children. While none of the injuries were life-threatening, those hurt were immediately rushed to private hospitals in Areekode for treatment by local residents and police.
The Areekode police has registered a case against the organising committee for negligence.
For such events, the law mandates a safe distance to be maintained between fireworks and spectators, which was allegedly ignored in this case. The committee also reportedly failed to seek the presence of fire force officials as precaution.
The Areekode police is investigating the case and further action is expected against those found responsible.
This is not the first time that safety violations have been reported at venues hosting large events. In 2022, a gallery collapsed during a sevens football match in Malappuram, leaving several injured due to similar negligence. Recently, safety violations became a point of conversation in Kerala, after Congress MLA Uma Thomass fell to the ground from a make-shift podium in Kochi and sustained severe injuries.