The Diwali and Kali Puja celebrations across Odisha resulted in at least two deaths and multiple burn injuries, police reported on Tuesday.
Two devotees, including a man and a woman, were killed due to electrocution on Monday night near the Maa Dakhina Kali temple in Biragovindpur village under Satyabadi block of Puri district. They reported came into contact with a live wire.
Officials said the duo was take to the nearby Sakhigopal Community Health Centre. However, they were declared dead upon arrival.
Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination as efforts to confirm the identities of the deceased are underway.
In another incident in Cuttack city, two youths, identified as Ramachandra Padhi (21) and Sampad Parida (30), suffered severe injuries in a firecracker explosion near Aparnanagr under Chauliaganj police station.
The incident occurred when the duo, who were travelling with firecrackers on a scooter. Suddenly, a firework from nearby Diwali celebrations accidentally fell on the scooter, igniting the firecrackers stored in the vehicle and leading to an explosion.
The explosion left both victims with 30 to 40 per cent burn injuries. They were admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, officials said.
Separately, a fire caused by firecrackers gutted three houses at Ambagadia village in Keonjhar district.
Across Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, more than 70 people, who sustained burn injuries during the festive celebrations, were admitted to various medical facilities, officials added.
