NEW DELHI, Apr 19: At least 23 workers were killed and 6 others injured, four of them critically, in a powerful explosion in a private firecracker manufacturing unit in Kattanarpatti village in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, police said.
The explosion occurred at the ‘Vanaja’ fireworks factory owned by one Muthumanickam, located within the Vachakarapatti police station limits. Fire and Rescue Services personnel managed to put out the flames after a long struggle as the remnant chemicals and unfinished goods continued to explode at the site. The bodies of the workers were said to be blown off due to the impact of the explosions.
Those injured were rushed to the Virudhunagar Government Medical College hospital. Of the six injured, three are women who have sustained around 60 per cent burn injuries, an official said. Officials were yet to ascertain whether the fireworks unit had o obtained permission to work on Sunday, which is usually a holiday.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the unit reportedly holds a license from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), Nagpur. More than 100 workers were said to be present in the premises at the time of the incident.
The explosion is believed to have originated in the front veranda, where laborers were allegedly handling raw materials and carrying out finishing work on firecrackers.
The impact of the blast was extremely severe, reducing at least three rooms to rubble and completely flattening several nearby structures.
Further details are awaited as the search and rescue operation continues.
Rescue operations were significantly hampered as crackers continued to burst long after the initial explosion. There are fears that more workers may be trapped under the debris.
This incident marks the deadliest industrial accident in the region this year. It comes just days after a similar blast in the Vembakottai area of the same district that claimed four lives.
Soon after the fire accident was reported, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin deputed two Ministers to rush to the spot to coordinate relief operations. In a social media post, Mr Stalin said he has deputed Ministers KKSSR Ramachandran and Thangam Thennarasu to the spot to swiftly coordinate relief operations and to reach out to the affected families. The CM said he has also directed Virudhunagar Collector to ensure all the necessary steps were undertaken.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Official
(Rohit Kumar)
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