KOCHI, India – A tragic explosion at a firecracker storage facility resulted in one fatality and nearly 24 injuries in Tripunithura’s Choorakkad on Monday. The blast also caused damage to nearby houses and buildings.
The deceased, 27-year-old Vishnu from Thiruvananthapuram Uloor, suffered severe burns when the firecrackers he was transporting exploded during unloading. Despite being rushed to Tripunithura Taluk Hospital, he was referred to Ernakulam General Hospital where he tragically passed away.
At the Ernakulam General Hospital, it was confirmed that around 12 people sought medical care within an hour after the blast, with one person in critical condition being taken to a private hospital in Kochi. Three others were taken to Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital, and the number of injured reached 24 by noon, with four in critical condition.
According to reports, the firecrackers were taken to the residential area without permission from the police. It was revealed that a vacant house in the residential area was being used as a firecracker storage space in connection with a festival at Puthiyakavu temple.
Municipal councillor Rema Santhosh reported that firecrackers exploded while being unloaded from a vehicle, which also caught fire. Six units of the fire force responded to the incident and successfully extinguished the fire.
Unfortunately, children and the elderly living nearby were also injured from shards of glass due to cracked windowpanes. Local residents mentioned feeling earthquake-like tremors during the accident.
In response, police and fire forces evacuated people from the accident spot and began a search to ensure no one was trapped under the debris of the collapsed buildings. Excavators were brought in for the search operations, and buildings within a 2 km radius sustained damage from the explosion.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and it was reported that nearly 30 houses were damaged in the blast.