Tamil Nadu Factory Blast: Two people were killed on Sunday after a massive explosion occurred at a firecracker manufacturing unit in near Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar on Sunday. in Virudhunagar.
The explosion caused widespread panic within the factory. Upon receiving information about the incident, police and fire brigade teams arrived at the scene to assist with rescue operations which are currently underway. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
In a similar incident in April this year, 25 people were charred to death while several others sustained grievous injuries following a massive explosion at a private firecracker manufacturing unit in Virudhunagar. The incident at the 'Vanaja' fireworks factory, raised concerns over safety rules and audits in the industry.
As per an NDTV report, investigation findings suggested that safety regulations were violated on multiple levels at the facility. As per rules, only three to four workers were allowed to be present in a production room, however, around 20 employees were present together when the incident occurred.
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The factory unit, instead of being constructed as separate rooms with adequate spacing, was merged like a connected warehouse. Apart from this, the unit only had two exit points, even though as per rules at least four emergency exits should be there. As per officials cited by NDTV, the unit was carrying out operations illegally as its licence was temporarily suspended.