Two killed, one critically injured in fire accident near Sivakasi

Two workers were killed and one was critically injured in a fire accident at a cracker unit near here on Wednesday evening.

The deceased were identified as S. Alphonse (55) and V. Muniyasamy (30), both from Periyar Colony in Tiruthangal. The injured, D. Govinda Babu (19) of Koomapatti, has been admitted to the Government Hospital here with 100 per cent burns, the police said.

The accident occurred at Munna Fireworks Factory in Vendrayapuram at 5 p.m. Friction caused while handling chemicals led to the fire, according to Collector T.N. Hariharan.

“Most of the employees had gone out of their working sheds for a wash before going home,” he said.

The police said that while Govinda Babu sustained burns , the other two were fatally knocked down by flying rubble following an explosion. A working shed was razed to ground and seven other sheds were damaged in the impact. Fire tenders from Sivakasi and Srivilliputtur put out the flames.

The injured and the bodies were shifted to the Government Hospital.