A tragic firecracker explosion at a church in Kerala's Ernakulam district resulted in one fatality and left another person with severe injuries on Sunday morning. The incident has cast a shadow over festival preparations and raised serious questions about safety protocols.
Details of the Muvattupuzha Church Blast
The blast occurred at St Peter's and St Paul's Church in Kadathy, Muvattupuzha. According to sources, the explosion took place while individuals were refilling a firecracker with gunpowder inside a room designated for storing fireworks intended for an upcoming church festival.
The deceased has been identified as 68-year-old Ravi Krishnan, a resident of Kadathy. The injured person is 46-year-old James, a contractor from Valakom. James sustained severe burns and was immediately rushed to Kolenchery Medical College for urgent treatment.
Police Investigation and Legal Action
The Muvattupuzha police have registered a case and initiated a thorough investigation into the matter. An FIR has been filed naming three individuals as accused:
- Fr Biju Varkey
- Sabu Paul
- Eldho C M
The First Information Report states that the accused made arrangements to refill the firecracker within the church building without obtaining necessary permissions and in blatant disregard of established safety guidelines.
The case has been registered under Sections 106(1) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant sections of the Indian Explosives Act.
A Tragedy Narrowly Averted and a Disturbing Pattern
Authorities noted that a major tragedy was averted as a mass was being conducted in the main church hall at the time of the blast, meaning very few people were near the explosion site in the storage room.
This incident is not an isolated one in the Ernakulam region. It echoes a similar and more devastating event from February 2024. In that incident, an explosion at an illegal firecrackers warehouse in Tripunithura claimed two lives and injured sixteen others, including women and children. The Tripunithura blast caused extensive damage, destroying over 25 houses, several shops, and completely charring two vehicles.
The recurring nature of such explosions highlights a critical need for stringent enforcement of explosive material regulations and widespread public awareness on the dangers of handling such substances without proper expertise and precautions.
