Chennai: At least 10 people, including four women, were charred to death and seven injured on Saturday when an explosion ripped through a fireworks’ manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district.
The accident took place at a cracker unit in Ramuthevanpatti in Vembakkottai block on Saturday noon when employees were mixing chemicals for fancy crackers.
A senior official with the Virudhunagar district administration told DH that the explosion took place due to a man-made error. "We recovered eight bodies from the room where chemicals are mixed for producing crackers. As per rules, only two people should be present in the room when chemicals are mixed," the official said.
The official added that the explosion took place inside the chemical mixing room, which led to huge causalities. "It looks like all eight people were inside the room or just outside the room and chatting with each other,” the official said.
A case has been registered against the owner and manager of the unit, who are hiding. "We have formed special teams to nab the duo," another official said, adding a detailed magisterial probe has been ordered to go into the incident.
Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the death of 10 people and announced a solatium of Rs 3 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He said he has deputed Revenue Minister K K S S R Ramachandran and Labour Minister C V Ganesan to meet the injured and families of the victims.
Accidents inside firecracker units due to negligence and human error have become a recurring affair in Virudhunagar and Sivakasi, where over 1,000 factories produce firecrackers meeting 90 per cent of the country’s needs.
(Published 17 February 2024, 08:58 IST)
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