20210212 16 die in firecracker unit blast near Sattur in Tamil Nadu
India Feb 12 2021 “Building” “Factories”
Dead : dead more than 10 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured more than 10
16 die in firecracker unit blast near Sattur in Tamil Nadu
Updated: 2021-02-12
VIRUDHUNAGAR: Sixteen people died and around 20 others suffered injuries in a series of blasts in a fireworks manufacturing unit at Achankulam near Sattur in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu on Friday afternoon.
District collector R Kannan told TOI that the deceased include seven women and five men. “We have identified five men and five women. Two women are yet to be identified while the gender of the four other bodies is yet to be ascertained,” he said.
The accident happened around 1.30pm in a cracker unit named Mariammal Fireworks which is licenced by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).
A blast was triggered due to friction while workers were handling chemicals in a working shed. Fire started to spread to nearby working sheds due to which blasts continued for a long time, making it difficult for the rescue teams to get close to the spot.
Fire tenders and personnel from fire stations in Sattur, Sivakasi and Vembakottai rushed to the spot to put out the flames. More than 10 working sheds in the cracker unit were completely destroyed and several other working sheds were partially damaged.
The injured people were admitted to the Sattur and Sivakasi government hospitals. The death toll would likely to increase as some of the injured sustained 100% burn injuries.
District collector Kannan and superintendent of police P Perumal visited the spot and conducted an inquiry. A team of officials from PESO also visited the spot and were trying to ascertain the cause of the accident. The Elayirampannai police were conducting investigations.
Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.
Web Source: The Times of India