DINDIGUL
A 50-year-old woman was killed on the spot when a blast occurred in a cracker unit-cum-godown on Thadikombu-Idayakottai main road at Sukkampatti village near the Collectorate here on Sunday.
The deceased was Ponnuthai of Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district. The charred body was removed to the government hospital for a post-mortem. When Ponnuthai opened the door of the unit to find her mobile phone left by her on Saturday night, the blast occurred and the unit went up in flames, said the police.
Local people heard a deafening sound and saw smoke and fume engulfing the place. The cracker manufacturing unit-cum-godown was severely damaged in the blast. The roof and side walls collapsed.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel struggled for an hour to extinguish the fire. The reason for the blast was not immediately known.
The unit was owned by M. Bala Saraswathi, wife of retired Sub-Inspector of Police Mohan Raj of Arunachalam Nagar near here. Around 10 persons were working in the unit, but no one else was in the unit when the blast occurred.
