At least 14 killed in blasts in fire cracker units in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the loss of lives in the accident and announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the grievously injured.

Chennai: At least 14 people were killed and two others were injured when sudden explosions ripped through two firecracker factories in separate accidents in Virudhunagar district on Tuesday.

The first explosion took place at around 2.30 pm near Srivilliputhur in the district when labourers were involved in packing firecrackers to be sent across the country for the upcoming festival season. As many as 15 workers were involved in packing the fire crackers at a place located between the fire cracker unit and the licensed shop.

“Preliminary inquiry has found that they have stocked the fire crackers in a room without obtaining necessary permission from authorities concerned. The fire crackers suddenly exploded killing 13 of the 15 people who were at the spot,” V P Jeyaseelan, Virudhunagar Collector, told DH.

Though the owner had been running the fire cracker unit after obtaining a license from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), he didn’t have the permission to do packing at the said spot where the accident took place, the collector added.

The owner of the unit was arrested and the district administration suspended the licence of the fire cracker unit, Jeyaseelan added. The collector also said he has ordered an inquiry by the district revenue officer to go into the incident and submit a report.

“Further action will be taken based on the report,” the collector added. Two people who were injured in the accident have been admitted to the Srivilliputhur government hospital for treatment, officials said.

In another incident, one person was killed while mixing chemicals for preparing firecrackers at the unit in Kichanayakanpatti village in Sivakasi.

Chief Minister M K Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to those grievously injured.

Over 1,000 fire cracker factories functioning in Sivakasi and near-by areas supply 90 percent of crackers for the country, especially during Deepavali season. Accidents due to mishandling of chemicals and laxity among owners in ensuring safety have led to loss of several lives in fire factories across Virudhunagar district.

The accident comes just a week after 12 people died in an explosion at a fire cracker manufacturing unit in Ariyalur district near Tiruchirapalli.