The Kerala government on Wednesday ordered a judicial panel to conduct a probe to determine the causes of the explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Mundathikode area of Thrissur district, which killed at least nine people on Tuesday.
A one-man judicial committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge CN Ramachandran Nair will investigate the causes of the explosion and submit a report to the government, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
A special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan described the incident as a “state-specific disaster” and announced ex-gratia relief. $14 lakh to each family of the deceased – incl $4 lakh from the State Disaster Relief Fund and $10 lakh from the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) – plus compensation as per SDRF norms with $2 lakh from CRDF for the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced the compensation amount $2 lakh each to the family of the deceased and $50,000 for each of the infected people.
Officials in Thrissur said on Wednesday that the death toll had risen to nine, with more than 32 unidentified body parts collected from the blast site in Mundathikode.
“At this stage, we cannot confirm how many people were present at the fireworks unit at the time of the explosion. The unidentified body parts should be subjected to DNA testing to determine the number of deceased and their identities,” said Shikha Surendran, Thrissur District Collector. Eleven people are currently hospitalized, five of whom are in critical condition. Two of them are on ventilator support.”
Of the nine dead, seven bodies were identified and handed over to their families for final burial ceremonies. Surendran added that doctors have begun DNA testing of unknown parts of the body, and the results are expected within 3-4 days.
Meanwhile, state minister V N Vasavan said the immediate focus of the administration is to provide the best medical treatment to the injured. “Expert teams of doctors from several medical college hospitals in the state have started arriving in Thrissur and coordinating closely to provide the best treatment to the injured. Plastic surgeons have been included in the expert teams. Two of them, who were in the ICU, have already been shifted to the ward. So our efforts are bearing fruit,” he said.
Vasavan added that government representatives will hold a meeting with officials of Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady devaswom bodies on Thursday to decide how to conduct Thrisssur Pooram in the backdrop of the tragedy. The minister said: “The government does not want to make a unilateral decision regarding the festival.”
K Rajan, minister in charge of disaster management, said multiple investigations are underway to determine the exact causes of the explosion. He also called on people to inform control rooms if their friends or relatives, who may have visited the explosion site, are missing.
“I think some people are afraid that they will be detained or face legal action. These fears must be put aside,” the minister said.
The series of explosions occurred shortly after 3:30 pm on Tuesday in the middle of a paddy field in Mundathikode where temporary sheds were set up for assembling and making fireworks for Thrissur Pooram.
It is believed that the isolated nature of the place has become an obstacle for firefighting trucks and personnel to reach the site.
Valsala, a woman who was assembling explosives towards the west side of the makeshift fireworks unit, told local media that she ran away as soon as she heard the explosion.
She said: “Since we were sitting towards the west side of the unit and we were a little away from the explosion, we were able to escape. I think about 3 to 5 people were able to escape.”
According to CN Ramachandran Nair, there was prima facie evidence of violation of safety rules. “(The area where the fireworks unit was set up) is not an ideal place. It is in the middle of paddy fields. Rescue vehicles cannot reach there on time. It definitely seems that rules have been violated,” Nair told reporters.
