Thrissur: Health Minister Veena George on Wednesday said that autopsies of five bodies have been completed, while nine intact bodies were recovered following the explosion at a fireworks storage facility linked to the Thrissur Pooram at Mundathikkodu in Thalappilly taluk.

Addressing the media, the minister said 14 body parts were also retrieved from the site, adding that it remains unclear how many individuals they belong to.

She further said that two persons with 98 per cent burn injuries are on ventilator support and remain in a critical condition. “They have undergone CT scans to assess internal organ damage,” she said. In addition, 10 injured persons are undergoing treatment in the ICU of Thrissur Medical College, with the condition of five among them reported to be critical.

Meanwhile, the Thrissur Collector said that the bodies of three identified victims have been handed over to their relatives.

The minister noted that the exact number of injured is expected to be confirmed after further searches at the blast site. She also said several people are still searching for their missing relatives at hospitals, fearing they may be among those in critical care.

Highlighting the challenges in identifying the deceased, Veena George said that unlike incidents such as the Wayanad landslide, the bodies in this case are severely charred, making identification difficult. “We may not be able to identify all the bodies,” she said.

She added that experts have expressed concern that post-mortem procedures could further complicate identification. As a result, it has been recommended that autopsies be conducted after identification wherever possible.

DNA samples from relatives of the missing will be collected and matched with the remains, following which the bodies will be handed over to families.

Experts from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology are expected to arrive in Thrissur at 9 am on Wednesday to assist in and finalise further identification procedures.

According to official figures, 14 people have died and 11 people are under treatment following the incident.