Thrissur (Kerala), Apr 23 (PTI) Two days after the blast at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Mundathicode here that claimed 14 lives, a police forensic team is examining what chemicals were being used to make the crackers and whether any of them were prohibited.
A forensic official said samples were being collected from the blast site and following laboratory testing of the materials it can be determined what chemicals were being used at the unit and if any of them were restricted.
The test report would be handed over to the jurisdictional court and the investigation officer to carry out further probe, he said.
The tests will also reveal whether the blast occurred due to any mixing of the chemicals present at the site, he added.
The official further said that in view of the seriousness of the matter, the entire forensic team, of around 14 members, has been deputed for taking samples and testing them. Therefore, the results would be available quickly, he said.
“The results will indicate what actually happened,” he told a TV channel.
As of Wednesday evening, 14 persons died due to the blast even as the district authorities said the number was likely to increase following the DNA tests of the over 32 body parts found from the blast site.
Authorities had also said that four persons were missing in the incident.
Taking note of the extent of the tragedy, the Kerala government declared the blast a ‘state-specific disaster’ — which allows the administration to provide immediate relief and aid — and announced a financial assistance of Rs 14 lakh to the dependents of those who died in the incident.
The government also decided to appoint a single-member judicial commission, comprising former Kerala High Court judge Justice C N Ramachandran Nair, to carry out a probe into the incident.
The explosion took place around 3.30 pm on Tuesday at the fireworks unit engaged in cracker preparation for the Thiruvambady devaswom ahead of the upcoming Thrissur Pooram on April 26.
Firecrackers were being manufactured in multiple temporary sheds located in an isolated area amid paddy fields, and around 40 people were suspected to have been present there. PTI HMP KH
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