23 workers killed, 19 injured in blast at a firecracker factory near Virudhunagar
Tamil Nadu: Twenty-three workers were killed and seven others injured in an explosion at a private fireworks factory near Virudhunagar on Sunday. Another explosion during the rescue operation injured 12 people, including police officers.
Workers from Sovaikaranpatti, Tiruthangal, and Govindanallur, work at the fireworks factory in Kattanpatti, Virudhunagar district. More than 35 workers were manufacturing fireworks at the factory on Sunday.
Around 3:30 p.m., a fire broke out in the room where the fireworks were being manufactured, causing a massive explosion. The room exploded with a loud noise. Three other nearby rooms also exploded with loud noises, collapsing to the ground. This engulfed the entire area in smoke.
Upon receiving information, fire and rescue teams from Sattur, Sivakasi, and Virudhunagar areas rushed to the scene and began controlling the fire. Meanwhile, medical emergency services from Virudhunagar and surrounding areas were called in and rescue operations began.
Twenty-three workers were burned to death in the blast. Seven injured workers, Pechiyamma (51), Saratha (40), Panchavarnam (56), Veerabhatran (45), Sangilithangam (40), Arunkumar (23), and his son Kadish (14), were immediately rescued and admitted to the Virudhunagar Government Hospital. Subsequently, the bodies of the 23 dead workers were recovered. Some of the bodies were badly burned and body parts were scattered, making it impossible to immediately identify the deceased. The recovered bodies were sent to the Virudhunagar Government Hospital for post-mortem.
Were any other people trapped in the accident? Were there any bodies in the debris? Around 7:50 p.m., a poclain machine was working to clear the debris. Around that time, another explosion occurred. Twelve people were injured, including Virudhunagar Divisional Assistant Fire Officer Muthu Pandian, female guards Subha and Kavitha, guards Velmurugan and Ayyan, and the poclain machine driver. All were admitted to the Virudhunagar Government Hospital.
