Tamil Nadu: 5 dead, 11 injured in firecracker unit explosion

Five workers were killed and 11 injured after an explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit near Villupuram flattened the small building in which it was housed.

Five workers were killed and 11 injured after an explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit near Villupuram flattened the small building in which it was housed.

Five workers were killed and 11 injured after an explosion in a firecracker manufacturing unit near Villupuram flattened the small building in which it was housed. (Representative Photo)

“There was an explosion (on Sunday night) and, in the impact, the building collapsed and five workers were trapped in the concrete rubble,” a senior Villupuram district fire and rescue services official told Tamil channel Thanti TV. All five trapped men died.

“The injured have been rushed to hospital,” he added.

Of the 11 people injured, six were women.

Work is on to clear the concrete rubble at the site of the explosion in Turuvai village, about 55 km from Villupuram on the Tindivanam-Puducherry route.

Police said the firecracker facility was housed in a small four-room house. “One room was used to manufacture the crackers, with the other three housing the finished product,” a senior police official said.

A probe is on to determine if the explosion was the result of an accident or foul play.