DUSHANBE, April 12, 2016, Asia-Plus – On Monday April 11, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon sent a cable of condolences to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent deadly temple fire, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

Rahmon also asked to convey his deep condolences to families and friends of those who died. 

A fireworks display exploded during a festival at a temple in southern India early Sunday, killing 108 people and injuring more than 540.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the fire “heart-rending and shocking beyond words.”  “My thoughts are with families of the deceased and prayers with the injured,” he said in a statement.

The incident took place at the 500-year-old Devi Temple at Puttingal of Paravur municipality in Kollam, located around 70 kilometers from the state capital, where a fireworks show is part of the annual festival.

India has seen a handful of lethal fire breakouts in recent years.  In September an explosion in central India caused by mining explosives killed nearly 90 people.  And nine people were killed in a 2014 train fire.  Another blaze in February shut down a performance in Mumbai.  No casualties were reported.