2 min readThiruvananthapuramUpdated: Apr 21, 2026 08:24 PM IST
At least nine people were killed and 23 injured in an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Thrissur on Tuesday evening.
The blast occurred at the unit, which was making fireworks for the Thrissur Pooram festival slated for April 24. The unit, situated at Mundathikode in Thrissur, was assigned to make fireworks for Thiruvambadi Sri Krishna temple, one of the organisers of the Pooram.
The blast occurred at the unit, which was making fireworks for the Thrissur Pooram festival slated for April 24. (Express Photo)
The blast at the unit, where explosives had been stocked for the Pooram fireworks, started at around 3.30 pm. However, rescue workers could not rush to the spot, which is around five km away from the government medical college in Thrissur, due to thick smoke and recurring blasts. At the manufacturing site at Mundathikkode, there were around 12 temporary units erected on a harvested paddy field. There were around 40 workers at these units at the time of the incident.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan directed the chief secretary to ensure all facilities for the treatment of the injured. Rescue operations are going on and special arrangements have been made to monitor them, he said, adding that if required, service of doctors from outside the state would be sought to treat the burn victims.
The Thrissur district administration ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. The fire force has deployed drones to contain the fire as rescue workers could not get close to the spot due to repeated incidents of explosions.
