THRISSUR: A person was seriously injured when a firecracker unit in Kundannur, near Chelakkara, exploded on Monday. The unit was reportedly storing and also making crackers for the temple festivals in the region. A major disaster was averted as the accident happened around 5pm when 9 other workers in the unit finished work and went out to clean themselves.
Kavassery Mani, a worker in the unit was found by rescuers lying outside the damaged shed with serious burn injuries. He was initially taken to the general hospital in Wadakaknchery and then shifted to the Medical College Hospital, Thrissur.
According to nearby residents, the tremors and noise of the explosion were felt as far as 5km away from the site. The explosion did not cause major damages as the unit was situated in a distant corner of a vast paddy field.
Madhavan P K, ward member of Kundannur South said that many houses in the area suffered damage in the explosion. “People around the area are in shock. Glass windows and even tiles of nearby houses have been damaged. It would have been a major accident if the other workers were also present at the time of the accident,” he said.
Local people who led the rescue work say that the unit must have stocked a huge volume of crackers and chemicals in anticipation of the impending festival season. It is feared that sub-surface crackers known as ‘amitt’ was stored in the shed and must have caught fire from a spark, a resident of Kundannur told TNIE.
Kundannur in Erumapetty panchayat, the border region of Thrissur, is known for its fire cracker-making units. For decades, the experts from the area make the crackers and take the contract for the firework display at Thrissur Pooram, Uthralikkavu pooram, and Kuttiyankavu pooram.