An explosion at a firecracker manufacturing unit in Vellaiyampatti, Kuppanur village near Ayodhiyapattinam in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, claimed the life of one worker and left three others injured on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. when four workers were unloading raw materials from a vehicle for the production of firecrackers. According to the police, a spark ignited the materials as they were being moved into the unit, triggering a powerful explosion that quickly spread to other stored raw materials and firecrackers. The resulting blast caused the entire unit to collapse.
Emergency services were rushed to the scene to contain the fire and rescue the workers. The injured individuals were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, while a detailed investigation into the cause of the explosion is underway.
Tamil Nadu CM Stalin announced ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to those injured.
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In Thiruvalankadu of Mayiladuthurai, a 27-year-old worker died and three others suffered severe burns last month. The blast, believed to have been caused by the mishandling of combustible raw materials during production, completely destroyed the small-scale facility.
Following the incident, the district collector directed that the injured workers, who suffered burns over 80% of their bodies, be transferred to the Government Tiruvarur Medical College for urgent medical treatment.
The deceased was U Kannan of Thiruvavadhuthurai. The injured were identified as V Kaliyaperumal (50) and S Lakshmanan (45) of Thiruvalankadu, and S Kumar (35) of Virudhunagar.
The fire fighters ensured to douse the fire in 30 minutes.