Thrissur (Kerala) | More body parts were recovered during search operations at Mundathikkode, where explosions at a firework manufacturing unit killed 14 people and left four still missing, police said on Friday.
According to officials, a search operation on Thursday involving police personnel and cadaver dogs led to the recovery of a large number of body parts, prompting authorities to continue the search for the second consecutive day.
The cadaver dogs can sniff out the dead or human remains in a disaster zone.
The operation resumed in the morning with around 125 personnel and five cadaver dogs taking part.
Police said five additional body parts were recovered during the search from the premises where the explosion occurred.
So far, around 132 body parts have been recovered and shifted to Thrissur Medical College, where they will be preserved after DNA testing.
A team of experts is working to extract DNA samples from the recovered remains and match them with samples collected from relatives of the missing persons, police said.
The explosion occurred on the afternoon of April 21 at a site where fireworks were being manufactured in multiple temporary sheds located in an isolated area amid paddy fields.
Police suspect that around 38 people were present at the site at the time of the incident, of whom 14 have been confirmed dead while four remain missing.
