<p>At least ten persons were charred to death and 12 others injured when an explosion ripped through a country cracker manufacturing unit in Ariyalur district on Monday. </p><p> The accident took place at around 9.30 am at the factory in Vettriyur village, 320 km from Chennai, under Keelapalur police station limits when workers were involved in manufacturing country crackers for local temple festivals. </p><p> The intensity of the explosion was so huge that the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Fire tenders from Ariyalur and Perambalur districts rushed to the spot immediately and doused the fire after several hours. </p><p> Official sources said an inquiry has been ordered by the Ariyalur district administration into the accident. A senior government officer told DH that initial investigation has pointed to lethargy on the part of the management which is believed to have employed “untrained” labourers at the fire cracker unit.</p><p>“It has come to our notice that the management employed untrained people from near-by villages to manufacture fire crackers. Though they have trained labourers from Sivakasi, the mistake seems to have stemmed from the untrained lot which led to the accident. We can come to a conclusion only when the investigation is complete,” the officer said. </p><p>Labour Minister C V Ganesan, who rushed to Ariyalur after the accident, told <em>DH</em> that 10 people lost their lives in the explosion. “We met the family members of the victims and consoled them,” he added. The minister said the government will take strictest possible action against the owners of the cracker unit if the inquiry finds any lag on their part. </p>.Refrigerator compressor explodes in Punjab's Jalandhar, six of family killed.<p>“The inquiry will also go into whether the cracker unit has been following the rules and regulations for the industry framed by the government. We will act once the inquiry is complete,” he said. </p><p>While seven of the injured are receiving treatment at the Ariyalur government hospital, five persons who suffered serious burns were rushed to Thanjavur government medical college hospital for further treatment.</p><p>Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh to the families of the dead, Rs 1 lakh as relief to those with serious injuries, and Rs 50,000 to people who suffered simple injuries.</p><p>The explosion comes two days after 14 people from Tamil Nadu died in an accident at a fire cracker godown in Attibele in Bengaluru on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. The victims hailed from Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi districts of the state. </p><p>Accidents at fire cracker units in Tamil Nadu, especially in Sivakasi and neighbouring towns, are blamed on poor safety measures enforced by owners inside their units. Tamil Nadu, primarily Sivakasi, accounts for 90 per cent of crackers manufactured in the country.</p>
<p>At least ten persons were charred to death and 12 others injured when an explosion ripped through a country cracker manufacturing unit in Ariyalur district on Monday. </p><p> The accident took place at around 9.30 am at the factory in Vettriyur village, 320 km from Chennai, under Keelapalur police station limits when workers were involved in manufacturing country crackers for local temple festivals. </p><p> The intensity of the explosion was so huge that the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Fire tenders from Ariyalur and Perambalur districts rushed to the spot immediately and doused the fire after several hours. </p><p> Official sources said an inquiry has been ordered by the Ariyalur district administration into the accident. A senior government officer told DH that initial investigation has pointed to lethargy on the part of the management which is believed to have employed “untrained” labourers at the fire cracker unit.</p><p>“It has come to our notice that the management employed untrained people from near-by villages to manufacture fire crackers. Though they have trained labourers from Sivakasi, the mistake seems to have stemmed from the untrained lot which led to the accident. We can come to a conclusion only when the investigation is complete,” the officer said. </p><p>Labour Minister C V Ganesan, who rushed to Ariyalur after the accident, told <em>DH</em> that 10 people lost their lives in the explosion. “We met the family members of the victims and consoled them,” he added. The minister said the government will take strictest possible action against the owners of the cracker unit if the inquiry finds any lag on their part. </p>.Refrigerator compressor explodes in Punjab's Jalandhar, six of family killed.<p>“The inquiry will also go into whether the cracker unit has been following the rules and regulations for the industry framed by the government. We will act once the inquiry is complete,” he said. </p><p>While seven of the injured are receiving treatment at the Ariyalur government hospital, five persons who suffered serious burns were rushed to Thanjavur government medical college hospital for further treatment.</p><p>Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh to the families of the dead, Rs 1 lakh as relief to those with serious injuries, and Rs 50,000 to people who suffered simple injuries.</p><p>The explosion comes two days after 14 people from Tamil Nadu died in an accident at a fire cracker godown in Attibele in Bengaluru on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. The victims hailed from Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi districts of the state. </p><p>Accidents at fire cracker units in Tamil Nadu, especially in Sivakasi and neighbouring towns, are blamed on poor safety measures enforced by owners inside their units. Tamil Nadu, primarily Sivakasi, accounts for 90 per cent of crackers manufactured in the country.</p>