CHENNAI: Three people were killed and one seriously injured when an explosion ripped through a house where firecrackers were being made near Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district on Saturday.
According to police, a group of workers was engaged in manufacturing firecrackers inside a house in the Vijayakarishalkulam area when explosives suddenly detonated.
The blast triggered a massive fire, which spread rapidly, causing the partially prepared crackers to explode in quick succession. The impact of the explosion left parts of the building in ruins.
Three people died on the spot, while another sustained severe burn injuries.
The injured person was rescued by the police and rushed to the Sivakasi Government Hospital for treatment.
This latest accident has once again highlighted the recurring safety concerns in the region's fireworks production units.
Virudhunagar district, particularly the Sivakasi–Sattur belt, is known as the country's firecracker manufacturing hub, but it has been plagued by frequent accidents caused by unsafe storage of explosives, overstocking, or manufacturing activities being carried out in unauthorised locations such as residential buildings.
Saturday's incident is the fourth fatal firecracker-related explosion in the district in the past month alone. Collectively, these blasts have claimed 16 lives, raising alarm among safety officials and prompting demands for stricter enforcement of rules under the Explosives Act.