Kochi: One person was killed and two others injured seriously when an entire dump of firecrackers meant for a church festival in Angamaly exploded accidentally. Simon (23), son of Shaju, a resident of Mambra, was killed while Justin James (14) and Joyal Biju (15) were admitted to the Ernakulam Medical Centre with 50 percent burns. The tragedy happened during the festival at a dome in Karukutty Azeezi Nagar on Sunday night. The incident happened at 8.30 pm when a cracker meant to explode in the air fell near the storehouse, and the sparks ignited fireworks, police said.
Simon
Simon was bringing the crackers from the storeroom when the explosion happened. He got trapped in the storeroom after somone closed the door to prevent the fire spreading. He was declared dead when brought to a nearby hospital. The Angamaly Police lodged cases under the Explosive Act and also for culpable homicide (IPC sec 304). “No prior nod was given for procuring the huge quantity of firecrackers. Further, they were stored in a single room of a sports club there without taking adequate safety precautions. Further probe is on,” an officer said. Though two others identified as Meljo Paulose (35) and Stephin Jose (32) too were injured, their condition is now stable.
