Families to move HC seeking compensation in Tripunithura blast case 

KOCHI: The families of Tripunithura are approaching the Kerala High Court seeking compensation for the explosion at the firecracker storage center in Puthiyakavu. A plea will be filed in the court over this. The plea will also demand that a commission be appointed to assess the loss. The action committee mentioned that 150 houses suffered damages in the blast.

Eight houses were completely damaged in the blast and forty partially damaged. Vehicles were damaged. The house owners had earlier demanded compensation from those responsible for the explosion. The councilors of the Tripunithura Municipal Corporation said that the Puthiyakavu Temple Committee is responsible for the blast. The councilors also said that the temple committee should pay compensation to those whose houses were damaged.

The explosion was on Monday morning at 10.30 am. The whole area shook like an earthquake. The impact of the blast was felt up to three kilometers. The blast happened when boxes containing firecrackers brought from Palakkad for the festival at the temple were being unloaded from the tempo traveller to a nearby building. It is believed that a dynamite may have fell down and exploded. The firecrackers in the building also exploded.

Two identified as Vishnu (27), son of Ashok Kumar of Ulloor in Thiruvananthapuram and Divakaran (55) of Punalur had died in the blast. Anandan (69) of Punalur in Kollam, Adarsh (29) of Madavoor Sasthamkota, Madhusudanan (60) of Sasthamkota and Anil (49) of Paripally sustained serious injuries.