NEW DELHI: The death toll in the Mundathikode fireworks manufacturing unit explosion has risen to 15 after the licensed contractor, Mundathikode Satheesh, succumbed to his injuries on Friday (April 25).
Satheesh, who had been overseeing the fireworks contract for Thrissur Pooram for 14 years, died at Thrissur Medical College Hospital on Friday afternoon over 80 per cent burns he sustained in the April 21 incident.
The licensed fireworks manufacturing unit in Mundathikode, near Thrissur, working under Satheesh, was preparing pyrotechnics for the Thiruvambadi Devaswom as part of the upcoming Thrissur Pooram festival.
Satheesh entered the fireworks industry following in the footsteps of his father Manipappan. Manipappan was a licensee of the Thiruvambadi sect for many years. Satheesh took over the management of fireworks after his father’s death.
Five fireworks manufacturing sheds were demolished in the massive explosion, damaging nearby structures and blasting windows at the Kerala Institute for Local Administration (KILA). The explosion sound was heard several kilometers away, triggering panic. - The Statesman/ANN
