CHENNAI: In a tragic incident, six people were killed in a firecracker factory explosion in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar on Saturday. Many suffered injuries while police said that the condition of some of the injured was serious.
The incident happened this morning at the Sainath firecracker manufacturing unit in Appayanaickenpatti village of Sattur taluk in Virudhunagar. It was concluded that the accident occurred during the mixing of chemicals. Two rooms collapsed and one room was completely destroyed in the blast. The fire brigade brought the situation under control but there is still doubt over more people trapped inside the site.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed condolences over the incident. A compensation of Rs 4 lakh has been announced for the families of those who died in the accident. The Chief Minister, who visited the district last September, had requested the firecracker factory owners to tighten security to prevent accidents. Around four lakh workers are reported to be employed in the firecracker industry in 1,150 factories in Virudhunagar. About 70 per cent of India's firecracker production comes from Sivakasi.