13 dead, several injured in fireworks factory blast in Kerala
Thrissur : At least 13 people were killed and several others injured in a blast at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Mundathicode in central Kerala’s Thrissur district, officials said.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the explosion occurred around 3:30 p.m. yesterday at a unit preparing crackers for the upcoming Thrissur Pooram on April 26. Thirteen injured persons, including three women, are undergoing treatment at Government Medical College, Thrissur.
Five are critical with over 70 per cent burn injuries, hospital authorities said. Around 40 people were suspected to be present in the sheds at the time. Hospital authorities received 13 bodies, including dismembered remains counted as individual fatalities.
Residents said intermittent blasts continued after the initial explosion, hampering rescue efforts. Firecrackers were being made in multiple temporary sheds in an isolated area amid paddy fields. Wadakanchery Municipal Chairman P N Surendran said extreme heat was suspected as a cause, adding that blasts were still occurring and houses kilometers away suffered damage. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the Thrissur Collector.
Such blasts at unregulated fireworks units have seen a sharp rise in India. On Sunday, at least 25 people were killed in an explosion at a firecracker factory in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with four others seriously injured. Earlier, in February 2026, a blast occurred in Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu that killed 10, the December 2025 Harda factory explosion in Madhya Pradesh left 11 dead, and the October 2025 Sivakasi fire that claimed 9 lives, raising concerns over safety violations and illegal stockpiling ahead of festivals.
