Blast at granite quarry leaves one dead, five injured

THRISSUR: One person died and five others were injured in a blast in a granite quarry at Attoor near Wadakkanchery on Monday. The deceased has been identified as Abdul Noushad, 45, brother of the owner of the quarry. The owner, Abdul Asees — a CPM leader and a former president of Mulloorkkara panchayat — is among the injured. 

The tremor from the blast that occurred around 8pm was such that local residents initially thought it was an earthquake. It is suspected that the blast occurred from the explosives kept in the quarry. According to a local resident, Sameer, the quarry had remained shut for almost one-and-a-half years.“How the blast happened is a mystery. There are reports that the owner and others were trying to remove the explosives from the quarry when they went off,” Sameer said.

It is  also reported that the owner and his team visited the quarry to check on the fish farm there, and the blast happened.The Wadakkanchery police and the fire and rescue team arrived at the site soon after the blast. Kunnamkulam ACP Aneesh V Korah led the rescue mission and the inquest at the spot. The injured, including a migrant labourer, were taken to private hospitals in Thrissur.