A 22-year-old man was charred to death in an explosion at a firecracker unit in Tamil Nadu’s Sivakasi on Wednesday, March 20. The accident is reported to have occurred in Ganeshwari Fireworks in Ammapatti village near Marneri of Sivakasi. Police sources said that only one person was charred to death on the spot, and no other injuries have been reported. “A friction during the mixing of chemicals must have caused the blast,” they said.
The deceased has been identified as S Aravindhan of Mathankovilpatti village. His remains have been sent to the Sivakasi Government Hospital and an investigation is underway by the Maraneri police. The owner of the unit has been identified as 27-year-old Thangapandi, but further inquiry will reveal more details, police said.
Expressing condolences, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced a relief amount of Rs 3 lakh to be given to the family of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.
சிவகாசி வெடிவிபத்தில் உயிரிழந்தவரின் குடும்பத்தாருக்கு ஆறுதல் மற்றும் நிவாரண உதவியை மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் அறிவித்துள்ளார். pic.twitter.com/wjqKAqYw0P
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) April 20, 2022
Earlier, three blasts in firecracker units were reported in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu in January alone. One person died and two others suffered serious burn injuries in an accident at Amathur on January 30. Three people had died on the spot and six were injured in an explosion that occurred on January 5; and one of the injured succumbed in a hospital later. On January 1, a blast at a firecracker unit near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district killed four people and injured eight. Four men were also charred to death in an explosion at a firecracker unit near Kovilpatti of Thoothukudi district, on February 24.
Sivakasi's firecracker industry is considered to be worth Rs 6,000 crore and at the start of 2021, two separate explosions at firecracker manufacturing units in Virudhunagar left over 39 dead and several more injured. Following this, the District Collector had constituted special teams, who conducted a series of inspections in units since July 2021, and ordered the closing down of 70 units which had violated the laws.