Thrissur(Kerala) |Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan on Wednesday said that the blast at a fireworks manufacturing unit at Mundathicode in this district a day ago, which claimed at least 13 lives, has been declared as a state-specific disaster.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the decision was taken in a special online cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the morning in the wake of the blast.

He said that it was also decided to provide a financial assistance of Rs 14 lakh to the dependents of those who died in the blast.

He said that directions have been issued to the state executive committee of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) to declare the blast as a state-specific disaster.

Besides these, the government also announced a judicial probe into the incident and said a single-member commission comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair will carry out the investigation.

Regarding the Rs 14 lakh financial assistance to dependents of those who died in the blast, the minister said that Rs four lakh would be paid from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the remaining Rs 10 lakh from the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF).

The injured will be given the amount allowed under the SDRF and in addition, Rs 2 lakh will be provided as emergency financial assistance from the CMDRF, he said.

He further said that the Cabinet also decided the government will bear the medical expenses of the injured in government and private hospitals for the next 6 months and the amount required for it will be allocated from the CMDRF as recommended by the District Collector.

Additionally, the medical assistance will also include the permissible amount from the SDRF.

If the treatment is required for more than six months, based on recommendations of a medical board, the amount for treatment in private hospitals will be allocated from the CMDRF, the minister said at the press meet, which was also attended by ministers M B Rajesh and V N Vasavan Rajan further said that walls of some nearby homes were demolished and crop fields were cleared as part of the search and rescue operations.

The cabinet decided that the amounts required to restore them to their original condition will be allocated from the SDRF on the basis of the District Collector's recommendations, he said.

The minister said that the cabinet also directed the state executive committee of the KSDMA to issue a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the burial of bodies and collection of samples for DNA identification, in connection with the disaster.

The cabinet also validated the government decision taken on Tuesday to sanction Rs 50 lakh from the SDRF for emergency response and the District Collector has been given permission to spend the expenses incurred in connection with the disaster response from this amount, he said.

The District Collector has also been assigned the task of taking account of the extent of damage caused to nearby houses due to the explosion, submitting an urgent report regarding it and providing funds for repairs from the SDRF, he said.

The minister further said that three cadaver dogs have been deployed to aid in the search of the bodies and body parts.

Vasavan said experts from all medical departments are present at the Thrissur Medical College to provide all necessary treatment to those injured in the blast.

He also said that it was difficult to ascertain how many people were present at the blast site at the time of the incident as all the documents regarding workers of the manufacturing unit were destroyed.

The minister said that officials of all departments were present at the site since morning to coordinate and carry out the search operations.

Vasavan told reporters that a meeting of the Paramekkavu and Thiruvambady Devaswoms, which organise the Thrissur Pooram festival, the district administration and concerned officials will be held on Thursday at 10.30 am, as permitted by the Kerala High Court.

Following the meeting, a decision will be taken on how to move forward with the conduct of the festival in the wake of the tragedy, he said.

The famed Thrissur Pooram festivities got underway on Monday with the customary 'kodiyettam' ritual, signalling the start of one of Kerala's most celebrated temple festivals.

The ritualistic flag hoisting was carried out at all participating temples in and around the town, marking the formal beginning of the annual festivities, This year's celebrations will culminate in the main Pooram event on April 26.

The grand finale will see colourful processions from various temples assemble at Thekkinkad Maidan, located in front of the iconic Vadakkunnathan Temple in the city centre.

The festivities will prominently feature the participation of Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms, which are known for their traditional rivalry in organising the elaborate elephant displays and fireworks display.