India: 8,000 gelatin explosives found abandoned in Kerala's Palakkad district

On Thursday, a large number of explosives were found in Ongalloor, situated in Kerala's Palakkad district, police said.

The seized explosives include 8,000 gelatin sticks stacked in 40 boxes. These were found abandoned near a quarry in Vadanakkurissi, near Shornur in Palakkad.

The police said that they were informed about the explosives by locals, and it is suspected that the gelatin sticks were to be used for breaking rocks in quarries.

They registered a case in this regard, and have launched an investigation into the matter.

In November 2000, police teams had seized 7,500 detonators and 7,000 gelatin sticks from a mini lorry in Palakkad's Walayar. Those explosives had been hidden under several cartons of tomatoes that were being transported from Erode in Tamil Nadu to Angamaly in Ernakulam district.

A video clipping of the consignment had shown the gelatin sticks, light pink in colour, wrapped in plastic sheets.

In September 2020, two migrant workers in Kalady, Ernakulam, lost their lives after explosives stored illegally in a building near a quarry burst. The explosive substances were reportedly stored without permits for the purpose of blasting rocks for mining.

The deceased were sleeping inside the building when the explosion took place in the morning. Following the blast, the police arrested several persons including the owners of the quarry, the general manager of the quarry and other associates. The arrested persons were booked under charges of culpable homicide.

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