Keralam Govt Declares Thrissur Fireworks Blast State-Specific Disaster
Keralam government constitutes a Judicial Commission to probe the fire incident
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Keralam Government on Wednesday decided to set up a single-member judicial commission, led by Justice (Retd) C. N. Ramachandran Nair, to investigate the accident at a fireworks manufacturing and storage facility in Mundathikode, Thrissur district, which claimed 14 lives.
The tragedy took place at a site preparing fireworks for Keralam’s famous Thrissur Pooram festival, prompting district authorities to issue a stop memo to a unit producing crackers for the Paramekkavu Devaswom.
At a special Cabinet meeting, the government announced financial aid of Rs 14 lakh for the families of the deceased—Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and Rs 4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund—as well as Rs 2 lakh each for the injured.
The Cabinet meeting held online was presided over by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
At a press conference, Revenue Minister K Rajan announced that the accident will be classified as a “special disaster.” The government has promised free treatment for the injured, and if care is needed for more than six months, expenses will be covered by the CMDRF.
The fire caused severe damage to nearby houses and fields, and compensation will be distributed based on the collector’s damage report, with Rs 50 lakh already allocated to the district administration. The minister added that it’s unclear how many people were injured, and urged those missing or unable to return home to contact the control room without fear of legal trouble.
Of the 14 people who lost their lives in the accident, seven have been identified: Sudarshan (54) from Pazhayannur, Thrissur; Vasudevan (54) from Kachur, Palakkad; Suvin (40) from Kundannoor, Thrissur; Manikandan (60) from Edappal; Subramanian (50) from Kulathur, Malappuram; Bijeesh from Chirakkal; and Manikandan (33) from Kottapuram. Nine bodies remain in the mortuary along with 26 severed body parts.
Thrissur District Collector Shikha Surendran said DNA samples will be sent to an institute in Thiruvananthapuram for testing. While the institute indicated results might take 10 days, officials aim to provide them within three to four days.
Families of four missing individuals visited the hospital, and samples from those searching for relatives are being taken for cross-matching.
The missing persons are Suresh C A , 50,Abhijith, 28, Vishnu , 38 and Girish ,42.
State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, who visited the site on Wednesday, said special teams have been formed to investigate the fireworks unit explosion, including a SIT under the Thrissur Police Commissioner and another team led by the Thrissur City ACP (Crime Branch).
