THRISSUR: A team from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) that inspected the blast site at Mundathicode on Wednesday and Thursday has ruled out high temperature alone as the cause of the explosion at the firecracker manufacturing unit.
“Though the exact cause of the fire and explosion is yet to be ascertained, our primary assessment indicates that high temperature by itself could not have triggered such a disaster. There could be other contributing factors,” an official said.
The team conducted an extensive inspection and collected samples of explosive materials and debris from the site as well as nearby areas where houses sustained damage. Officials said the samples would be tested to determine whether any banned chemicals were used in the manufacture of firecrackers.
Preliminary findings also pointed to the presence of an electric cable running through one of the five units spread across the 2.5-acre of land where the blast occurred. Officials suspect that a spark from the cable could have triggered the explosion.