5 killed, 10 injured in blaze at firecracker unit in TN’s Kallakurichi

Five people perished and at least 10 others were injured after a blaze swept through a firecracker shop in Sankarapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi district.

A video of the incident that has gone viral shows fire accompanied with smoke billow out from the workshop after the blast as residents scuttle to safer places.

Reports said a two-wheeler parked outside the cracker workshop also exploded under the impact of the fire.

The injured have been rushed to the hospital and are undergoing treatment.

Rescue operation is being carried out by personnel of the fire department who are clearing the debris and looking for survivors.

Fire accidents at cracker manufacturing units have been common ahead of the Diwali season in the country. Due to the soaring demand of firecrackers during the season, some families also tend to take up cracker manufacturing without getting a licence.

On Sunday (October 24), a woman died while another was injured in a blast at an illegal firecracker manufacturing unit in Medivada near Visakhapatnam.

In June, three people were killed and several injured in an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory near Sivakasi, the hub of firecrackers in Tamil Nadu.