Thrissur Firecracker Unit Explosion Death Toll Reaches 14

Thrissur: The death toll from Tuesday's catastrophic explosion at the Thrissur firecracker unit has risen to 14 after Praveen (45), a resident of Pattambi in Palakkad district, succumbed to his injuries. Praveen, who had suffered burns to over 90 per cent of his body, had been in critical condition since the blast. Tragically, it was the first time he had ever taken up work at a firecracker manufacturing unit.

Praveen had come to the Mundathikode facility in Thrissur along with his friend Suresh and Suresh's brother Sujith. When the explosion occurred, Suresh and Sujith managed to flee the premises, but Praveen was unable to escape and was trapped inside the burning facility.

The blast occurred at around 3.20 pm on Tuesday at the unit where the Thiruvambadi section's fireworks for the Thrissur Pooram were being prepared.

The preliminary finding is that gunpowder left out to dry in the intense heat caught fire, triggering the explosion. Five sheds were completely destroyed. Secondary explosions continued for over three hours, preventing rescue workers from entering the site during the initial phase of the response.

Adding to the anxiety, a fresh explosion occurred late in the night even as the District Collector and Police Commissioner were present at the site conducting an inspection. The exact number of workers who were inside at the time of the blast cannot be confirmed, as all records maintained at the facility were destroyed in the fire. Inspection of the area is continuing.