Two persons were killed and one suffered injuries when firecrackers stored in a house caught fire at Kuruppankulangara, near Cherthala, on Wednesday afternoon.
The dead were identified as Thomas, 65, of Suryapally House at Kizhakkenalpathu, Cherthala, and Susheela, 40, of Nikarthil House in the same locality.
The accident occurred at Thomas’s house when he and Susheela were manufacturing firecrackers in a shed adjacent to the house. His younger son, Johnson, 26, ran out of the house and escaped with minor injuries. However, Thomas died on the spot.
Susheela, who was extricated from the ruins with great difficulty, was initially admitted to the Cherthala taluk hospital.
She was pronounced dead soon after being shifted to the medical college hospital in Kottayam.
A local resident said the impact of the explosions was such that roof tiles and sheets were blown off nearly 500 metres from the house. Several household appliances were destroyed and four houses in the locality suffered significant damage.
Multiple explosions and leaping flames hindered the rescue operations. The explosions continued for around an hour-and-a-half, despite the efforts of Fire and Rescue Services units from Alappuzha and Cherthala to put out the fire. District Collector N. Padmakumar, who visited the spot, ordered Sub-Collector D. Balamurali to conduct an investigation and submit a report.
A revenue official said Thomas had been running his firecracker business from a rented facility at Thekke Angady in Cherthala. Owing to renovation of the shop, Thomas is believed to have illegally stored large quantities of firecrackers, most of which were made in view of Deepavali, in his house.
