At least six persons got killed in an explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. In the intensity of the blast, four rooms in the unit were reduced to rubbles.
According to Virudhunagar police, the blast occurred at 9.30am on Saturday and rescue operations are underway at the site. About 84 workers were present in the factory at the time of the blast, said police. The factory was owned by a person named Balaji from Sivakasi and he was operating a firecracker manufacturing unit called ‘Sainath Fireworks’ on the premises in Bommaiyapuram, Virudhunagar. The factory had 84 rooms and over 150 persons as employees.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Six people died in an explosion that took place at a firecracker manufacturing factory in the Sattur area of Virudhunagar district. More details awaited: Prem Anand Sinha, South zone IGP pic.twitter.com/iEBSl7j6vX
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2025
As per preliminary probe, police suspect friction between chemicals caused the explosion. “Friction between chemicals while mixing them could have led to the blast,” police told a Tamil daily. Four rooms including the chemical store room at the factory were reduced to rubbles in the explosion. Earthmovers have been deployed to remove debris from the site. Meanwhile, authorities from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization visited the site and conducted inspections. PESO officials also collected samples from the site.
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The deceased were identified as Velmurugan, Kamraj, Nagaraj, Kannan, Meenakshisundaram and Sivakumar. Another worker is undergoing treatment for injuries, police said. According to police, Balaji leased out the factory without following proper norms and the unit lacked safety measures. Police also found that inexperienced persons were employed for manufacturing crackers.
Virudhunagar police has registered a case against four persons including Balaji, co-owner Sasipalan and manager Das in connection with the blast. Police are also on the lookout for two in the case.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin condoled the incident and announced a solatium of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
