9 killed, 15 injured in cracker unit blast in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: At least nine people were killed and 15 workers were injured in an explosion at a cracker manufacturing unit at Kuruvimalai village in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu today.

Reports received at the police headquarters here confirmed that the deaths included six women and one of the owners of the cracker unit, Sudarsan (31).

The incident took place at Narendran fireworks, a valid licence holder and reports said that nearly 25 people, majority of them women, were working at the time of the incident.

A fire accident caused during the manufacturing of firecrackers led to the explosion around noon. Several persons who were working in the factory sheds sustained grievous injuries.

Reports said chemicals that were kept outside the unit in the blazing sunlight caught fire and within a few minutes, the fire spread to the entire premises of the unit, leading to the blast.

Residents who were shaken by the deafening sound of the explosion at the factory alerted the police and the Fire and Rescue Services department personnel.

The reports said the impact of the explosion was such that the bodies were badly mutilated. They were strewn into pieces and could not be identified.

Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, the reports said. Reports from Kancheepuram district, while five people were charred to death on the spot, four others succumbed to their burns in a hospital.

Majority of the 15 injured were women and they were being treated at the Kancheepuram Government Hospital, while some were shifted to the Chengalpattu General Hospital and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

The impact of the blast was such that the cracker unit was razed to the ground as a large quantity of stored crackers exploded. The district collector, senior police and revenue officials visited the spot.

Meanwhile, the District Police arrested Narendran, who was one of the owners, in connection with the incident.  Tamil Nadu MSME Minister T.M.Anbarasan and senior officials visited the injured at the hospital and enquired about the treatment being given to them.