Eleven people, including three women, have died after an explosion in a firecracker godown in Tamil Nadu's Ariyalur district, following which a case has been registered against the owner and the manager.
The incident occurred around 10:20 PM in Vetriyur Madura, Viragalur village in the Ariyalur district. The Ariyalur District Collector, Anne Mary Swarna told the media that a case has been registered against the owner and the manager of the godown and they have been arrested.
Swarna and District Superintendent of Police (SP) K Feroze Khan Abdullah reached the spot immediately after receiving information about the incident.
According to IANS, 21-year-old Muruganandam, who was admitted to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital with 80 per cent burns, succumbed to his injuries on Monday.
So far, ten of the deceased have been identified as P. Seenu (24), D. Panneerselvam (55), S.Ravi (45), R. Sivakami(45), K. Rasathi (43) and S. Vennila (38), K. Aravilagan (57), U. Shivakumar (50) and V. Anandaraj (54) along with 21-year-old Muruganandam.
The body of a male, which was charred beyond recognition, is yet to be identified.
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Due to the Diwali rush, the owner had employed 30 more workers who were made to work overtime to meet the demands for firecrackers when the incident occurred. As per the report, a spark in the explosive components led to a major catastrophe and fire engulfed the cracker unit and the godown premises. While others ran for safety, eleven of them died and more than 20 were injured.
The blast took place after a major explosion occurred in Attibele near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border in which 14 people were killed.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his condolences and announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to those undergoing treatment in various hospitals.