Death Toll Rises to Three in Illegal Sivakasi Firecracker Unit Explosion
The death toll from an explosion at an illegal fireworks manufacturing unit near Sivakasi rose to three on Monday after site co-owner R Ramachandran, 40, died of his injuries at the Virudhunagar Government Medical College Hospital. Ramachandran had been admitted in critical condition with 60 per cent burns following the blast on Sunday, July 26.
The explosion had instantly killed Ramachandran's 38-year-old brother, R Ramprakash, along with an unidentified worker. Rescue operations near Sivakasi intensified on Monday as relatives came forward to report that two additional workers employed at the illegal facility were missing.
Fire and rescue personnel launched a widened search operation across the site and surrounding farmlands, deploying a drone to scan the area. Search crews also began pumping water out of a nearby irrigation well to ascertain whether the missing workers were thrown into it by the force of the blast. A senior police official said that scattered body parts recovered from the scene have been sent for DNA analysis to determine if more deaths occurred.
Local residents reported hearing the explosion around 8:30 am on Sunday, which sent thick white fumes several kilometres into the air. Firefighters at the scene noted that the force of the blast completely charred one worker inside the shed, while another worker was blown apart. The explosion gutted a parked van, hurling its vehicle parts nearly 20 metres away, partially burnt a two-wheeler, and shattered the window panes of two nearby houses.
Police investigations revealed that the brothers had set up the fireworks operation stealthily, using an agricultural shed located near their nursery as a front. Officials stated that workers commenced manufacturing as early as 3 am on Sunday and had illegally tapped into free electricity meant solely for agricultural use to power the shed.
Virudhunagar MLA P Selvam visited the blast site to oversee the ongoing rescue efforts. Addressing the incident, Selvam noted that the Sivakasi East police had already uncovered 10 similar illegal fireworks manufacturing units in the area over the past few weeks. With Deepavali a few months away, Selvam urged Virudhunagar Superintendent of Police Gautam Goyal to intensify checks across the fireworks industry to prevent similar accidents. Police are continuing their investigation to identify the unknown and missing workers and establish the exact cause of ignition.
