At least one person has died and several others injured in a massive explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit here on Tuesday.
The incident occurred after 5.30 pm at Muttinakam near Varapuzha.
Muttinakam ward member, Liju MP, said the identity of the deceased is yet to be known. "The body was fully charred, the person had died on the spot," Liju said.
3 children among injured
It is understood that at least three children were among the injured. All affected were moved to a private hospital in the city.
A doctor at the hospital told Manorama News that the condition of four, including two children is serious.
"They were injured in fall, possibly from the impact," the doctor said.
It is understood that children were at a house right behind the manufacturing unit where the accident occurred. The eldest of the three children is a first-grader.
Unit reduced to rubble
The unit was totally destroyed in the explosion and its impact was felt at buildings more than a kilometre away.
Varapuzha Panchayat President, Kochurani Joseph, said the impact felt like an earthquake.
The cause of the explosion is not clear. The pyrotechnic devices were stored in a shed near an old house that has been completely destroyed. Windows of all houses in the locality were shattered on impact.
Efforts are underway to douse the fire while the police and locals are attempting to secure the locality that is densely populated.
At least seven units of the Fire & Rescue department is on the scene. "There is no one trapped here anymore. The situation is under control now," said a Fire & Rescue personnel.
(to be updated)
