Two persons were injured, with one being serious, in a blast that had occurred on Monday at an unauthorised firecracker unit at Neendoor, near Ettumanoor.
According to the police, the incident had occurred at around 10.30 a.m. at the cracker unit that had been built adjacent to the Mannarkkat house. Fire-force units from Kottayam and Kaduthuruthy had to be both pressed into action and the raging fire was doused after nearly 30 minutes. Due to the intensity of the explosion, several pieces of furniture from within the house were thrown to an uninhabited land nearby and were destroyed. Preliminary investigations have estimated a total loss of around Rs. 1 lakh due to the explosion.
The victims have been identified as Molly (45), the wife of Mathai, belonging to the same house; and Prakashan (42) of Kunnathettu house at Kondandoor. Prakashan worked as a carpenter in the construction work that was being conducted in the house.
While Molly, who was near the firecracker facility at the time of explosion, suffered major burns and is in a serious condition, Prakashan had only minor injuries. Both have been admitted to a private hospital at Thellakom, near Ettumanoor.
The police said that investigation has revealed that the firecracker manufacturing unit has been functioning without the required authorisation for the past eight years. It has also been found that the couple had been manufacturing firecrackers using a license that has been issued in the name of Molly’s brother who resides nearby at Punnathara. A case has been registered against Mathai for having illegally stored explosives.
