In an unfortunate incident, more than 30 people were injured after firecrackers exploded at a football ground in Kerala's Malappuram on Monday, police said. The incident took place near Areekode in Malappuram. According to the Areekode police, the firecrackers were burst in a football ground before the start of the match. As a result, over 30 people who were sitting to watch the match were injured.
The officials said, "The incident took place in a football ground where firecrackers were used before the start of a football match. The firecrackers burst and spread into the ground, where people were sitting to watch the match." This incident happened during the final match between United FC Nellikuth and KMG Mavoor. Police said that the injured were taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment. They added that no serious injuries were reported.
Forest fire in Kambamala
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a day after a part of the grassland was destroyed by a forest fire in the Kambamala forests of Kerala's hill district Wayanad, fire broke out again in the same hills near Mananthavady on Tuesday. The forest department suspects that this was not a 'natural phenomenon'. Forest officials said that on Monday, about 10 hectares of grassland in the interior forest was destroyed by fire. Officials of the forest and fire departments controlled the fire after several hours of effort. However, on Tuesday, the flames spread once again on the same hill.
What did forest official say?
North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Martin Lovell expressed concerns over the incident in a video message, saying that the fire did not appear to be natural. He said that someone must have deliberately set the fire, as the incident took place in the grasslands inside the forest, where such fires usually do not occur naturally. The officer said, "When we investigated the situation, we understood that the incidents of fire occurred on days when there was a tiger problem in the area. It is suspected that the forest was deliberately set on fire."
(With inputs from agencies)