Kerala orders judicial probe into blast at Thrissur fireworks unit

THe Kerala regime on midweek ordered an enquiry by a juridical charge to determine the causes for the explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur district’s Mundathikode that killed at least nine people on Tuesday.A release from the chief minister’s office stated that a one-man judicial commission under retired High Court judge CN Ramachandran Nair would investigate the reasons behind the blast and submit a report to the government.A special cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan designated the incident as a “state-specific disaster” and declared ex-gratia relief of ₹14 lakh each for the families of the deceased— including ₹4 lakh from the State Disaster Relief Fund and ₹10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF)— in addition to compensation as per SDRF norms with ₹2 lakh from the CRDF for those injured.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced compensation worth ₹2 lakh each for families of the deceased and ₹50,000 each for those injured.Officials in Thrissur said on Wednesday that the death toll has risen to nine, with over 32 unidentified body parts collected from the site of the explosion in Mundathikode.“At this point, we cannot confirm the number of people who were present at the fireworks unit at the time of the blast. The unidentified body parts will have to be subjected to DNA testing to determine the number of deceased and their identities. Eleven persons are currently admitted to hospitals, of whom five are in critical condition. Two of them are on ventilator support,” said Shikha Surendran, the district collector of Thrissur.Of the nine dead, seven bodies have been identified and handed over to families for last rites. Doctors have begun DNA testing of unidentified body parts and results are expected in the next 3-4 days, Surendran added.Meanwhile, state devaswom minister VN Vasavan said that the immediate focus of the administration was to provide the best medical treatment for the injured. “Expert teams of doctors from several medical college hospitals in the state have begun to arrive in Thrissur and coordinate closely to provide the best treatment for the injured. Plastic surgeons are included in the expert teams. Two of them, who were in the ICU, have already been shifted to the ward. So our efforts are producing results,” he said.Vasavan added that government representatives will hold a meeting with office-bearers of the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady devaswom bodies on Thursday to determine how the Thrisssur Pooram can be conducted in the tragedy’s background. “The government does not want to unilaterally take a decision on the festival,” the minister said.K Rajan, the minister in charge of disaster management said multiple investigations were underway to pinpoint the exact causes of the blast. He also called on people to report to the control rooms if their friends or relatives, who may have visited the explosion site, were missing.“I think some people are afraid that they could get booked or face legal action. Such fears must be kept aside,” the minister said.The series of explosions occurred shortly after 3:30 pm on Tuesday at the centre of a paddy field in Mundathikode where temporary sheds had been erected to assemble and build fireworks for the Thrissur Pooram.It is believed that the isolated nature of the spot became an obstacle for fire force trucks and personnel to reach the location.Valsala, a woman who was assembling explosives towards the western side of the temporary fireworks unit, told local media that she ran out as soon as she heard the blast.“Since we sat towards the western side of the unit and being a bit far from the blast, we were able to run out. I think around 3 to 5 people managed to escape,” she said.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’s in the centre of paddy fields. Rescue vehicles cannot reach there on time. It certainly looks like rules have been violated,” Nair told reporters.