Published Nov 04, 2026 | 5:34 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 04, 2026 | 5:34 PM
An aerial shot of the site where the blast occurred on 21 April.
Synopsis: A judicial commission has found that gross safety violations and the use of banned potassium chlorate caused the Mundathikkode fireworks explosion in Thrissur on 21 April, which killed 16 people and injured 40. The unit had stored 7,000 kg of explosives against the permitted limit of 15 kg, and friction between chemicals in the hot weather triggered the fire that led to a series of explosions. The tragedy occurred during preparations for Thrissur Pooram.
A judicial commission inquiry into the Mundathikkode fireworks tragedy in Thrissur, which claimed 16 lives ahead of this year’s Thrissur Pooram celebrations, has found that gross violations of safety norms and the use of potassium chlorate, a banned substance, caused the explosion.
The commission, headed by retired Justice N Ramachandran Nair, found that 7,000 kg of explosive materials had been stored at the site against the permitted quantity of just 15 kg.
The report was submitted to Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday.
The report, submitted to Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday, 3 November, said friction between chemicals in the hot weather triggered a fire that quickly developed into a series of explosions. It identified potassium chlorate as the principal cause of the blast.
The explosives were being prepared for the fireworks display organised by the Thiruvambady faction ahead of Thrissur Pooram.
The explosion occurred on 21 April at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Mundathikkode, killing 16 people and injuring 40. It also caused extensive damage to nearby houses.
Eyewitnesses reported hearing two powerful blasts in quick succession, with the sound carrying several kilometres.
The Mundathikkode tragedy came 10 years after the Puttingal fireworks disaster of 10 April 2016, in which 110 people were killed and more than 650 injured in an explosion during a temple festival.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with Dileep V Kumar)
