Palakkad (Keralam) | Two people, including a 60-year-old woman, were injured and their house was completely destroyed following an explosion at an illegal firecracker-making unit they operated at their residence in Ottapalam here on Thursday, police said.
The injured, identified as Janaki and her son Shajesh (35), are natives of Manikkappara in Ottapalam.
They were engaged in making and selling firecrackers to earn their livelihood, they said.
According to officials, the family had manufactured and stored a large quantity of 'olappadakkam' (palm-leaf crackers) at their small house when the fire accidentally spread to the crackers, triggering a powerful explosion at around 9 am.
The blast was so intense that it destroyed the entire house, while its impact also shattered windowpanes of nearby houses, officials said.
The mother and son suffered burn injuries and were taken to the Ottapalam taluk hospital for treatment.
Their condition is stable now, officials said.
Ottapalam police registered a case of their own under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Indian Explosives Act and started an investigation, officials said Police said the firecracker manufacturing unit had been operating for several years without a license.
Officials said they also learned about the cracker manufacturing unit only after the accident.
