Almost five months after the fireworks accident at Mundathikode in Thrissur, some survivors are still dealing with psychological issues such as insomnia, anxiety, and flashbacks, which are typically symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

On April 21, 2026, a series of explosions erupted across fireworks assembly units preparing for a display organised by the Thiruvambady Devaswom committee ahead of the annual Thrissur Pooram. The blast resulted in 17 deaths, left over 24 people injured and damaged around 50 houses.

Speaking to The Hindu, some of the survivors hailing from Palakkad, Malappuram and Ernakulam districts complained that they were not offered help with their mental afflictions.

Unnikrishnan of Pathiripala, Palakkad, a pyrotechnician associated with one of the five assembly units involved in the incident, said that he was part of the rescue operations and helped the authorities identify the dead. Mr. Unnikrishnan said the terrible memories from the fateful night still haunted him, and that he has not received any help from the authorities for his mental state.

Rajan, from Kundannur, Wadakkanchery, was working in Mundathikode on the day of the accident. He still has troubles with sleeping and flashbacks. Months have passed, yet Mr. Rajan lives with the shock and grief of losing people close to him.

Special campaign

The Thrissur District Collector recently filed a report before the Kerala High Court stating that a special campaign involving the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) had been conducted to provide necessary psychosocial counselling and intervention to the local residents and families traumatised by the disaster.

A month after the incident, the DMHP, in coordination with the Psychiatry department of the Thrissur Medical College, identified and helped six survivors living in the vicinity of Mundathikode, all of whom had presented with PTSD symptoms.

Peter Joseph, nodal officer for DMHP Thrissur, said the survivors who were treated had issues such as reliving the sights and sounds of the explosion through flashbacks, insomnia and heightened anxiety. One person had become dependent on alcohol as a coping mechanism, and almost all survivors lost their livelihood for the rest of the festival season due to the effect of the explosion on their psyche. Mr. Joseph said that only these six people had come forward, willing to seek help, and that they fully recovered after follow-up visits.