34 people were present at the site during Mundathikode tragedy; three people still missing

THRISSUR: DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar stated that 34 people were present at the site during the Mundathikode tragedy. He mentioned that the possibility of more people being involved cannot be ruled out. An investigation has begun to check if there were any safety lapses. So far, 14 people have died in the incident. Among them, eight have been identified, and the remains of five others have been recovered. One person passed away yesterday during surgery. A special team has started a probe into the matter.

Meanwhile, two more body parts were found about 200 meters away from the accident site during the search operations that resumed early yesterday. These were discovered by cadaver dogs Murphy, Maya, and Angel from the Kochi City and Idukki police, along with Saniya from the explosives squad. Rescue workers moved the remains to the Medical College mortuary.

Three people still missing
The district administration confirmed that three people are still missing: Suresh (50) from Kanjirakkode, Abhijith (28) from Kottappuram, and Vishnu (35) from Manakkodi. During yesterday’s search, Fire Force officials also found unexploded fireworks, which were later safely neutralised.

Need for stronger safety measures
Former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala stated that permission for fireworks should not be granted without following strict safety standards. He emphasised the need for modern security systems to prevent such tragedies from happening again. He noted that although strict rules were set after the Puttingal accident, relaxations were given for events like the Thrissur Pooram and Pavaratty Church festival. He pointed out that not even a single fire engine was present at the accident site. Chennithala urged the Central Government to increase the Rs 2 lakh compensation and called for the protection of the victims' families. He also requested that DNA testing be completed quickly and that the recommendations from the Puttingal Commission report be implemented.