Kerala: Cracker unit blast claims six lives

THRISSUR: In a fireworks factory tragedy that has shaken the state again, six  persons were charred to death in an explosion at a cracker unit  at Mulamkunnathukavu, near here, on Wednesday. The dead were identified as factory licensee Jophy, Anil, Radhakrishna Pillai,  Sreejesh, Vasu Pillai  and Bablu  from Bihar. Six seriously injured are undergoing  treatment at the Thrissur Medical college. They are   Jayan, Prasad, Vijayan,  Madhavan, Pazhanimala and Devassy, Jophy’s father. Four workers escaped unhurt.Some 16 persons were at work in the cracker unit located in a rubber plantation on a hilltop on the way to Keltron at Athani when the explosion  occurred around 12.20 pm.About 2,000 kg of gun powder had been kept at  the  unit, it is learnt. The explosion, which was  heard as far as the outskirts of Thrissur town, destroyed  five houses nearby. The window panes of the administrative block, guest house and the auditorium at the Kerala Institute for Local Administration, located a km from the explosion site, were shattered in the impact.Teachers in a college in Chittilappilly said they took it for an earthquake, as glasses were shattered.Fire personnel  along with the police from Wadakkanchery and other stations in Thrissur had a hard time controlling the fire as the area is not easily reachable.  Jophy, who was also the district secretary of the All Kerala Fireworks Manufacturers Association, had the licence to stock the explosives, and  his ‘Three Star Fireworks,’ had been producing items  for most major festivals in the district during the season, including Thrissur Pooram.The Paramekkavu Vela will take place next week with a fireworks display.Top officials, including District Collector P M Francis and Police Commissioner P Vijayan, supervised the rescue and relief operations.It may be recalled that 13 persons were killed in a similar blast in a cracker unit near Shoranur in February this year.