A worker died in a blast at a fireworks factory at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu while another was grievously injured on Thursday, January 19. The deceased was identified as Ravi (60) while Jayaraj (60) was injured. The fireworks factory is owned by Krishnamoorthy at Sengamalapatti and has more than 40 sheds and hundreds of workers in these sheds.

The Sivakasi East police, which is investigating the case, said that a blast occurred in the shed where Jayaraj and Ravi were working, which resulted in the roof of the shed collapsing. Ravi died after being crushed under the debris while Jayaraj suffered serious injuries. Jayaraj has been admitted to Sivakasi Government Hospital for further treatment. The police also said that investigations have commenced regarding the safety measures adopted in the sheds.

Such incidents are not uncommon in Sivakasi, which is the hub for the fireworks industry in Tamil Nadu. In January 2022, at least four workers were killed and eight injured in a fire accident at a fireworks factory in a village near Sivakasi. The firecracker unit was owned by Vazhivdu Murugan of Pudupatti and the explosion took place at a chemical blending unit. The deceased were identified as Kumar from Mettupatti, Periyasamy from Servaikaranpatti, and Veerakuamr and Murugesan from Paraipatti. The unit employed nearly 30 people.

In another incident in March 2021, three people were killed in a blast at a matchbox factory in Virudhunagar. The explosion happened at Durga Match Factory which is located at Gurumoorthy Naicken Patti. Four people, who were working in the factory, were rescued by the Fire and Rescue Services Personnel. Those who were rescued were identified as Pudhiyaraja, Natarajan, Veerachami and Panjavarnam. Of the four, Pudhiyaraja succumbed to burns on the night of the incident while Natarajan and Veerachami died the next morning.