‘Conduct of Thrissur Pooram will be discussed’; central team will investigate accident

THRISSUR: Union Minister Suresh Gopi visited the accident site at Mundathikode near Thrissur and assessed the situation. Forensic officials and dog squads are conducting inspections at the explosion site presently. He also stated that more cadaver dogs will be brought in to continue the search operations.

‘Priority is being given to forensic examinations. Necessary samples need to be collected from there. There is also a possibility that unexploded materials may still be present, so extreme caution is required. Since the election code of conduct is in force, permission from the high court is needed to proceed with further actions. It is believed that steps have already begun to obtain this permission. Further responses will be made only after receiving the report. It is everyone’s responsibility to stand with the affected families and local residents. Pooram lovers and social workers are already working for it,’ said Suresh Gopi.

He added that discussions will be held with the district collector, commissioner, and devaswom authorities on things related to Thrissur Pooram. A final decision will be taken in the presence of elected representatives of the district after the arrival of Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan.

A massive explosion occurred last evening at the fireworks manufacturing unit in Mundathikode, where preparations were underway for the Thiruvambady section’s fireworks display for Thrissur Pooram. Fourteen were killed in the accident. So far, nine bodies have been identified, while DNA samples have been collected from the remaining. Forensic teams reported that 23 body parts were recovered during the search, with postmortems completed on 11 of them. Among the 11 injured undergoing treatment, five are in critical condition, including two on ventilator support.