In Keralam, seven people were killed and several others injured in a blast at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Mundathikkode in central Thrissur district on Tuesday. District Collector of Thrissur, Sikha Surendran, has confirmed the death toll. The Collector said, body parts recovered from the site will undergo detailed verification to determine the exact number of victims. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. The incident occurred in a shed where crackers were being prepared on behalf of a temple devaswom ahead of the upcoming Thrissur Pooram, which falls on 26th of April. The exact cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained. An inquiry at the level of the Revenue Divisional Officer has been ordered to determine the cause of the incident and to examine any possible lapses.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed grief at the loss of lives in this incident. In a social media post, the President extended her condolences to the bereaved families and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The Vice President said, he is deeply anguished by the accident and condoled the bereaved families. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Prime Minister Modi also announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of deceased and 50 thousand rupees to the injured.
