Three die in blast at firecracker factory in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: A mishap at a firecracker unit at Maloor near Pathanapuram in Kerala’s Kollam district on Sunday claimed the lives of three persons. Early reports said two others were seriously injured and were admitted to hospitals at Punalur and Pathanapuram.

The deceased included Adarsh (19), son of Prasannan, who owned the firecracker factory. The other two were identified as Podiyan from Maloor, and Kesavan. Four other employees of the unit escaped with burn injuries because they were a little away from the site of the blast.

The firecracker unit was located at a remote place on a hilltop, which made rescue operations difficult. Fire spread around the firecracker site, and it took about two hours for the fire force personnel and local people to put out the fire.