10 April 2016•Update: 17 April 2016
ANKARA
Turkey has offered condolences to the Indian government and its people after a massive fire tore through a Hindu temple, killing more than 100 people.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry released a statement Sunday afternoon: "We would like to offer our condolences to the victims' families and the people of India and wish a fast recovery to those injured."
At least 102 people were killed in a massive fire which tore through a Hindu temple in India’s Kerala State on Sunday morning.
Another 250 people were injured in the conflagration, which occurred at the Puttingal Temple in Kerala’s coastal town of Paravur, according to local police officials.
The incident took place at around 3:30 a.m. [22:00 GMT] as hundreds of worshippers gathered to celebrate a local Hindu New Year festival.
It is believed that the fire began when a number of fireworks being kept in the temple’s storeroom exploded prematurely.
The fire also caused a building in the temple complex to collapse, killing several people, according to media reports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently visiting the site of the tragedy, tweeted: "Fire at temple in Kollam is heartrending & shocking beyond words. My thoughts are with families of the deceased and prayers with the injured."
Modi said that 200,000 rupees [roughly $3,000] would be paid to each of the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees [around $770] to the families of the injured.
