The Kerala government on Wednesday ordered a judicial inquiry into the fire that claimed at least nine lives at a fireworks unit at Mundathikode in Thrissur district and $14 thousand compensation to the families of the dead
Officials said the number of victims was likely to rise, as several unidentified body parts were found at the scene of the fire. The fire broke out in the unit while workers were preparing fireworks to display the specimen at Thrissur Pooram on behalf of the Thiruvambady temple administration on Tuesday afternoon.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday to take decisions on compensation and investigation. Retired Supreme Court judge CN Ramachandran Nair will investigate the causes of the explosion and submit a report, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
It includes compensation for each family $4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and $10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). The injured will receive compensation as per SDRF norms and $2 lakh from CMDRF.
The Kerala government, which has classified the explosion as a “state disaster,” will bear the medical treatment expenses of the injured for six months.
