Three workers were killed and 11 injured in two accidents at different fireworks units in Virudhunagar on Thursday.
In the first accident at Vijaya Fireworks at Sengamalapatti, G. Ravi, 60, of Tiruthangal was killed. In the second accident at Baby Fireworks in Thayilpatti, K. Muneeswari, 30, of Chathrapatti, and an unidentified male worker, were killed, Revenue Divisional Officer, Sivakasi, R.R. Viswanathan said.
Among the 10 injured in Thayilpatti, the condition of S. Karupasamy, 26, of Amirpalayam, M. Marimuthu, 54, of Sattur, and M. Rajkumar, 38, of Sivakasi, is said to be critical.
All three have been referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai as they have suffered 80% to 100% burn injuries, said Sivakasi Tahsildar G. Loganathan. The other injured were identified as P. Jeyaraj, 70; Murugan, 52; Chellathai, 45; Gurursamy, 60; Maheswaran, 42; Thangaraj, 49; and Pandian, 55, and have been admitted to the government hospitals in Sattur and Sivakasi.
According to police sources, chemical filling for rockets was being done when a huge explosion brought down the working shed around 3.30 p.m. Subsequently, six other workings sheds were also razed. Even as the Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Sivakasi rushed to the spot, the chemicals and unfinished fireworks kept exploding, which prevented them from taking immediate action.
Superintendent of Police R. Srinivasa Perumal inspected the accident spot. Meanwhile, the accident at Vijaya Fireworks is said to have been caused while mixing chemicals at forenoon. A. Samuel Jayaraj, 48, who had gone to meet Ravi in the mixing room, sustained injuries in the explosion.
Solatium announced
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a solatium of ₹3 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund (CMPRF) to the family of Ravi. He instructed officials to ensure medical treatment for Samuel Jayaraj and announced a relief of ₹50,000 from the CMPRF.
In another order, he announced a solatium of ₹3 lakh each to the kin of Jayaraman and his wife Nagarani, who died recently when a multi-storied building was razed following a firecracker explosion at Pachaimalayan Kottai village, near Nilakottai, in Dindigul. The victims were working in the building, an official release said.
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