While 13 people died in the blast at the Rangapalayam firecracker unit, another man died at the blast in the Kichanayakanpatti firecracker unit.
Two firecracker unit blasts kill 14 people. (iStock)
On Tuesday, 17 October, the villages of Rangapalayam and Kitchanaickenpatti in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, saw two separate fire accidents at two fireworks units, killing at least 14 people.
Police, fire and rescue service personnel, and the public put up joint efforts in extinguishing the flames and rescuing the victims.
Meanwhile, the owner of the fireworks unit in Rangapalayam and two others were arrested on Wednesday, according to the police.
Accordingly, cases under sections 286 (acting rashly or negligently to endanger human lives), 337 (causing hurt by endangering life or personal safety), and 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC read with relevant provisions of the Indian Explosives Act were registered against them, said police.
“The sudden explosion at the unit in Rangapalayam occurred after a spark from the samples tested by the workers landed on the stockpile of firecrackers,” a senior police official said.
To a question, he replied that R Sundaramurthy, the owner of the firecracker unit, who was arrested, possessed a valid licence.
Foreman Kanagu alias Kanakaraj and Ramkumar of the private fireworks unit too, were among those arrested for causing deaths due to negligence.
While 13 people died in the blast at the Rangapalayam firecracker unit, another man died at the blast in the Kitchanaickenpatti firecracker unit.
“Seven charred bodies were recovered at the fireworks unit in Rangapalayam, where the blast occurred, and their identities are yet to be established,” a senior police official told PTI. The police suspect that they could be workers, he said.
Three people who were rescued from the unit succumbed to their injuries. The toll in this major fire accident rose to 13, which included 12 women workers, the police official said.
The accident took place when the workers tested the crackers in the afternoon and a spark landed on the crackers being packed in the adjoining area, thus triggering a blast, the senior official said.
Another such incident at a fireworks unit at Kitchanaickenpatti village left a man dead.
He has been identified as Vembu (35), the police said. Two women workers, who were rescued, have been admitted to the Srivilliputtur Government Hospital for treatment.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condoled the loss of lives in the accidents and announced a solatium of ₹3 lakh each for the families of the deceased and ₹1 lakh for the grievously injured.
On 29 July, nine people killed when a blast ripped through a firecracker godown at Palayapettai town in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district, injuring 11 others.
On 22 March, nine people were killed and at least 17 others sustained burns in a series of explosions at a firecracker-manufacturing unit in the Kancheepuram district.
Two women were killed and a man was injured in a blast at a firecracker unit at Nagadasampatti village in the Dharmapuri district on 16 March. While the deceased people were identified as K Muniammal (65) and B Palaniammal (50), P Sivalingam (47) suffered grievous injuries and was admitted to Dharmapuri district hospital.
Three people, including a woman, were charred to death and six others suffered grievous burns after explosives went off at a firecracker-manufacturing unit at S Gollapatti village in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district on 1 June.
Earlier, on 31 December 2022, four people were killed and five others injured when firecrackers stocked in a house at Mohanur Metutheru in the Namakkal district exploded. Houseowner Thillai Kumar, his wife Priya, his mother Selvi, and a woman next door were killed in the incident. Kumar’s five-year-old daughter suffered injuries in the blast.
(With PTI inputs)
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