Massive explosion in Tamil Nadu's firecracker factory, 6 killed; Rescue operation underway

An explosion took place in a firecracker factory in the Sattur area of ​​Virudhunagar district in Tamil Nadu. The Fire and Rescue Department official has given this information. Further investigation is going on. According to the information received, 6 bodies have been recovered from the factory so far and the rescue operation is underway.

The fire department took immediate action on receiving the information and is currently engaged in rescue work. Police officials said that the investigation is ongoing and the accident site is being closely examined. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently visited Virudhunagar district, where he urged firecracker factory owners to take safety measures to prevent such accidents.

CM Stalin also interacted with the workers and assured them that he had instructed the factory owners to take all necessary precautions. Despite the Chief Minister's inspection and assurance, such incidents are not stopping in the district.

Virudhunagar, especially Sivakasi is known as the fireworks capital of Tamil Nadu, with most of the state's firecracker factories located there. More than 300 factories in Virudhunagar district and neighboring villages produce these types of firecrackers. The firecracker industry employs about four lakh workers in 1,150 factories in Virudhunagar, with Sivakasi alone accounting for 70 percent of India's firecracker production. In 2024, there were 17 accidents in firecracker factories in Virudhunagar district, resulting in 54 deaths.

Earlier, 14 people were killed in two incidents of fire in firecracker factories in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. The first incident was in Rangapalayam area. Police had said that the accident happened during sample testing of firecrackers.

As many as 13 persons including 12 women died in this accident. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had announced assistance of Rs 3 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the seriously injured.

The police, fire brigade rescue service personnel, and local people were trying to put off the fire and rescue the victims. The police conducted investigations on whether the factories had a valid license. The police poured out that seven charred bodies had been found in the firecracker factory in Rangapalayam and so far they remained unidentified.

A day before that, an LPG tanker crashed in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. After this, gas started leaking from the tanker. The rescue team has reached the spot. This incident took place on the Uppilipalayam flyover in Coimbatore. The tanker was coming from Kochi to Coimbatore. After this accident, the entire area was cordoned off.