Over 150 people were injured, eight of them seriously, in a fireworks accident during a temple festival near Neeleswaram here on Monday evening, police said.

The injured were taken to different hospitals in Kasargod, Kannur and Mangaluru, they said.

The accident took place at Veerarkavu Temple near Neeleswaram.

The district collector on Tuesday said that those who were seriously injured had 80 per cent burns.

“The cause of the accident is being established. Evidence has been collected from the scene. A file has been drawn up,” he said.

He also said that according to a preliminary investigation, the firecracker warehouse and the place where the crackers were bursting were located nearby.

“Safety measures were not taken. The requirement to maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters between the two was not respected. No authorization was taken for the storage of fireworks,” he added.

According to the police, it is suspected that the accident took place when the fireworks warehouse near the Veerarkavu temple caught fire.

The accident happened around midnight, they said.